The Toronto East Community Awareness and Emergency Response (TE CAER) has announced community safety sirens in parts of southern and eastern Scarborough will be tested on Saturday.
According to a City of Toronto news release, residents and business operators within a kilometre of the sirens should hear the alarm at 5 p.m. when the test is scheduled to take place.
Officials said the siren will make a “whoop whoop” tone for two minutes, followed by silence for five minutes and then a minute-long monotone sound indicating the all-clear.
If there’s an actual emergency event during the scheduled test, a “whooping” tone will be heard and alerts would be shared on local media outlets and potentially through cellphone alerts.
The alarms are mandated by the Ontario government and are in place to warn people of a chemical emergency should one ever happen.
“People in the Scarborough-Rouge Park and Scarborough-Guildwood areas are encouraged to listen for the siren testing, identify the meaning and follow emergency guidelines. Residents and businesses should use siren testing as an opportunity to test their emergency preparedness,” Thursday’s news release said.
“Residents should take shelter inside, turn off HVAC and other ventilation systems that can draw outdoor air inside the house (clothes drier, fans, window air conditioners etc.), and close all doors and windows.”
If anyone hears a siren tone different than what was described or if there are any operational issues, people were encouraged to call TE CAER at 416-287-4483.