Skip to main content
News

San Francisco’s Emergency Siren System To Get an Upgrade in Wake of Maui Fires

Written by Bay City NewsPublished Aug. 24, 2023 • 10:24pm
City Hall
San Francisco leaders say they will upgrade the city's outdoor warning system. | Source: Harika Maddala/Bay City News

San Francisco plans to upgrade an abandoned siren system for emergencies or disasters, days after Maui failed to sound a wildfire warning with tragic results.

Mayor London Breed and Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin announced plans Thursday to prioritize upgrading the city's Outdoor Public Warning System.

The siren system’s tests every Tuesday at noon were a familiar part of San Francisco life until 2019, when they were shut off because of fears the system could be hacked and manipulated.

“The recent devastation in Maui was a tragic example of how important emergency notifications to residents, businesses and tourists are,” Breed said in a statement.

The first phase of the upgrade and implementation is expected to begin within six months and cost about $5 million, according to the Mayor's Office.

In addition to the outdoor warning system, the city can send emergency messages to any cell phone within a specific geographic area.

Maui’s outdoor siren warning system was not activated when wind-whipped flames spread rapidly across Lahaina and other areas to become the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history.

Questions, comments or concerns about this article may be sent to info@sfstandard.com


Security cameras affixed to corner building exterior

San Francisco CVS That Locked Up Soda Will Close; Customer Says Thieves Hit Store Daily


Two men in suits, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, walk through a garden

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping’s APEC Visit Becomes a Selling Point at This Bay Area Garden


Daniel Lurie speaks at a press conference at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House on Sept. 26, 2023.

San Francisco Mayor’s Race: Pro-Daniel Lurie Group Likely To Spend Big Bucks


A man holds a child in a firm hug.

San Francisco Homeless Shelter Forced to Turn Away Families Every Day


Police officers look at a crash involving a sedan and a motorcycle.

Crash Injures 2 in San Francisco’s Mission District