The Toronto East Community Awareness and Emergency Response (TE CAER) association has announced the last community safety siren test of the year will occur on Wednesday in parts of southern and eastern Scarborough.
According to a City of Toronto news release issued Monday afternoon, residents and business operators within a kilometre of the sirens should hear the alarm at 2:05 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, schools and businesses should use siren testing as an opportunity to test their emergency preparedness,” the statement said.
As part of any chemical emergency situation, residents were reminded that they should shelter inside their homes, turn off HVAC systems or any devices that draw outside air into the home, and keep all windows and doors closed.
If residents hear 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.