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Hosler warning system test 'went perfect' By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings City officials are letting out a small a sigh of relief today following the successful test of the Hosler Dam warning system. "Everything went perfect, and there were no glitches," Associate Engineer Peter Smeenk said after Monday's noon test. "You never know with electronics." City staff members were a little nervous before the test, following a failed silent test Thursday during which a false evacuation order was unintentionally blasted across the city, warning: "Hosler Dam Emergency. Evacuate the flood hazard zone immediately." City employees and a private alarm contractor determined Thursday's failure was caused by faulty equipment in the $245,000 system, which has since been replaced. But Ashland Public Works Director Paula Brown wanted to make sure the system worked perfectly, so another, longer test was set for Monday. The test included a series of loud alarms, followed by messages saying, "Hosler Dam Emergency. Evacuate the flood hazard zone immediately," "This is a test of the Hosler Dam warning system. This is only a test," and "Hosler Dam is secure. It is safe to return to the flood hazard zone." On the Plaza, Brown made contact with walkers as the siren blared, handing out explanatory pamphlets and gauging the response to the noise. "People were asking what's going on, but a lot of people knew," Brown said. "I got a sense of calm and acceptance that we have this." Chamber of Commerce volunteers Edith Montgomery and Marjorie Goodman were prepared to answer people's questions at the information kiosk on the Plaza, but had no inquiries. "We knew it was happening, but people were just kind of looking around and walking," Edith Montgomery said. The two know first-hand how surprising the alarm can be. Both attended the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's production of "Hedda Gabler" when the accidental alarm sounded Thursday, drowning out the actors. "Nobody knew what was going on at first," Montgomery said. "It didn't fit at all in the period (of Hedda Gabler)." "I thought the Shakespeare personnel handled it very well," Marjorie Goodman said. Nearly 600 patrons were attending the play when the alarm went off, forcing a temporary unscheduled intermission. The warning system is intended to inform residents of a potentially catastrophic breach of Reeder Reservoir, source of the city's drinking water supply. Sirens are located in four areas around the city, all along Ashland and Bear creeks - one on top of the Bowmer Theatre in the downtown Plaza Area, another at the Parks Department near the upper end of Granite Street in Lithia Park, a third at the Dog Park at Oak Street near the Wastewater Treatment Plant and the last one near Mike's Muffler at 1910 Highway 99 across from Butler Ford. On Monday all alarms were triggered simultaneously, and Smeenk observed reactions at the Dog Park. "The dogs didn't even seem to mind," Smeenk said. "Nobody there found it really alarming." Lounging in the grass at the entrance of Lithia Park, Freya Brentmar had another take on the siren which shattered the lazy afternoon. "I thought it was really irritating and people are going to start ignoring it if it goes off too much," Brentmar said. Derrick Claypool-Barnes was eating lunch downtown when the alarm sounded, and barely noticed it at first. "I thought it was a fire engine and it didn't alarm me," Claypool-Barnes said. The next full test is scheduled for October, and silent tests will continue every two weeks. In the meantime, the city is working on a city evacuation plan to go with the alarm. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -