Port tornado siren will now only sound once a month so residents don’t get used to it

Beginning this month, Port Washington’s tornado sirens will only sound at 1 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month, not every week

Police Chief Kevin Hingiss made the decision to only test the sirens monthly earlier this year after receiving a report from Ozaukee County Emergency Management Director Scott Ziegler that recommended testing emergency sirens less frequently.

The report offered as justification the fact that people get too used to hearing the sirens and don’t necessarily take them seriously when they sound, Hingiss told the Police and Fire Commission.

The change in policy also means that the sirens will no longer sound to mark the beginning of the annual Fish Day parade in July, Hingiss added.