Ventura County Sheriff’s office implements Hi-Lo siren for emergency evacuations

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. -- The Ventura County Sheriff'S Department has installed new Hi-Lo sirens to alert residents about emergency evacuations.

The Hi-Lo siren is meant to notify residents of an immediate need to evacuate during emergencies including fires, earthquakes and floods.

Governor Gavin Newsom recently approved a bill to authorize the use of European-styled Hi-Lo siren to aid in evacuations.

Sgt. Marta Bugarin, said "We have added the siren into our tool kit as fires have increased in severity."

Bugarin said some people ignore the siren they are used to hearing.

"This siren the Hi-Lo siren is only going to be used for emergencies and evacuations verses our regular patrol sirens that everyone hears and they basically tend to tune those out, they are used to frequently and they are heard so often, that is why we are switching to this hi-lo siren so it is very distinct it has that European style hi-lo signal to it which is very different than anything else you hear around here, " said Sgt. Bugarin.

When residents hear the siren in their community, they should understand that there is imminent danger and they should evacuate immediately.

The Sheriff's Office encourages residents to register for emergency alerts in their area by clicking here.

To watch Ventura County Sheriff's video on the new Hi-Lo siren, click here.