HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSC 11-13-2025 Written CommunicationsPC 11-13-2025
Oral
Communications
Written
Communications
Cupertino PSC: Outdoor Emergency Sirens (Nov 2025)
1. Community & Stakeholder Signals
• Nextdoor / Reddit / WhatsApp poll: low engagement, ~70% say not needed, ~10% want to
explore
• Fire staff: high upfront cost, maintenance burden, unclear ROI vs AlertSCC/WEA
• Council outreach: no clear policy support so far
2. What Nearby Cities Are Doing (CA / Bay Area)
• Berkeley – 10–12 voice sirens; ~2–3 uses/yr; ~$2M install, ~$50K/yr
• Oakland – ~50–60 sirens, monthly tests; $1–1.5M install, $30–40K/yr upkeep
• San Francisco – 119 sirens offline since 2019; upgrade est. $2.5M –$20M; relies on AlertSF +
WEA
• Beverly Hills – 12 sirens; $700K–$1.2M install, ~$20–30K/yr; multilingual outreach yields
~80% awareness
3. Cost & ROI Considerations
• Typical cost: $25K–$50K per siren
• Cupertino scale (~20 sirens): ~$500K+ upfront, ~$30K/yr
• Sirens are outdoor-only; limited indoor audibility
• Phones outperform sirens on reach, speed, cost, and clarity
• Best practice: multi-channel alerting, not siren-only systems
4. Recommendation
• Defer siren exploration for now due to low community demand, high cost, and stronger
alternatives (AlertSCC, WEA, Nixle)