PIERRE, S.D. (KCCR) – Outdoor warning sirens are used in some locations to not only warn of approaching severe weather or tornadoes, but also for the dispatch of fire departments to a call. After many years of the practice in Pierre, Fire Chief Ian Paul says it is no longer taking place.

One significant reason for the changes is a lack of consistency with siren protocol.

Paul says technology and time has made the World War II air-raid alerting systems obsolete for fire dispatching.

Paul says sirens have not been used for fire calls for the last two weeks. The change will likely become permanent, but officials do have the ability to reinstate the use of sirens for fire notification if needed. Such outdoor sirens are not intended to be heard inside especially during severe weather events.