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By the beginning of 2027, residents of the Tri-State Area will have a new way to receive alerts for tests and emergencies at the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station.
"We’ll be updating our warning systems," Jennie Steifel, off-site emergency preparedness specialist for the station, explained while appearing before Hancock County commissioners during their meeting Friday morning.
The nuclear power station, located in Shippingport, Pa., is transitioning from its traditional outdoor, pole-mounted siren alert system to a more automated system known as the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS.
For years, the station has owned and operated nearly 120 sirens, each located within a 10-mile radius that includes communities in Hancock County, West Virginia; Beaver County, Pennsylvania; and Columbiana County, Ohio.
"All of those will be fully decommissioned and removed," she said, noting arrangements have been made with a few volunteer fire departments that have asked to keep the sirens as part of localized alert systems. "We’re making this change across our fleet because this update will deliver emergency information more quickly to the public."
Steifel explained the siren-based system was designed to alert residents to then turn to other established emergency notification systems, whether through the Emergency Alert System or local news media, for additional information.
Through IPAWS, residents will have the capability of receiving tests and alerts from Beaver Valley Power Station through the EAS, television and radio stations, as well as smartphones, landlines and email.
"With IPAWS, the majority of people have a siren, essentially, in their pocket," Steifel said.
Those visiting the area, whether staying for a short time or simply passing through, will be included as well.
"If you’re not from around here, if you’re visiting friends or family during that time, you’ll still get notifications," Steifel said.
IPAWS is part of a federal platform, and the transition has received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The new system is expected to fully go online Jan. 1.