A new high-powered outdoor warning siren was installed near the Meeker Police Station and Meeker Fire Station No. 2 on July 24, improving public safety for residents and reducing risk to firefighters during severe weather.
TheFederalSignal2001130 electro-mechanical rotating siren, supplied through OmniWarn, produces 130 dB(C) at 100 feet and can be activated remotely by Meeker firefighters via radio signals. The project was funded through the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry’s Community Fire Assistance 80/20 Reimbursement Grant for FY 2026.
The previous outdoor siren near the Meeker Police Department failed during the destructive tornado that struck North KickapooAvenue and damaged numerous businesses in Shawnee on April 19, 2023. At that time, a Meeker firefighter was manually activating theoldsirenwhenthestorm approached. Firefighters have since been required to activate the town’s remaining outdoor sirens by hand, creating ongoing safety concerns. The older units still in service continue to require manual activation during storms.
Meeker Fire Chief Robby Ballard approached GrantAdministrator Leslie Wilbourn of Five Tool Management Consulting for assistance with the grant application and project management. OmniWarn completed a full sound survey of the community that also examined potential voice-announcement capability at Meeker High School and coverage for Meeker Lake.
Because the Town of Meeker lacked available funds for the required 20 percent local match, the Town Board could approve only a single siren rather than the full multi-siren system identified in the survey.
“The Town of Meeker was limited in the grant applications due to the 20 percent match,” Wilbourn noted. “The town does not have any funds available formatchingwhenitcomes to grant opportunities. Even though the Town Board has discussed a one-cent sales tax increase, there has been no support from the community in raising the Meeker sales tax.”
Five Tool Management donated all research, application preparation and project-management services at no cost to the Town of Meeker.
Plans are already underway to preserve the retired siren. Five Tool Management is coordinating with the Meeker Historical Society and Meeker OK Museum to remove the old unit, mount it for display near the museum’s historic fire truck, and install an interpretive plaque.
Carroll Ray Harper of the museum expressed enthusiasm for the addition. “Most people do not realize how tall the outdoor sirens are. This will give them an opportunity to see it up close,” Harper said.
The new siren strengthens Meeker’soutdoorwarning system and eliminates the need for firefighters to manually sound the alarm at this location. Until additional funding becomes available, firefighters will continue to manually activate the remaining older outdoor sirens.
Officials emphasize that residents should monitor weather alerts through multiple sources, including NOAA weather radios, local media, and smartphone apps.