TO: Campus Community
FR: Nader Oweis, Chief of Police
In partnership with the Cotati Police Department and the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, the Sonoma State Police Department has launched a public safety campaign aimed at enhancing awareness of the emergency hi-lo siren, a distinctive two-tone siren used by patrol cars and public safety vehicles when an immediate evacuation is required.
The campaign will include a test of the siren on the Sonoma State campus at 5 p.m. on September 15, 2021, so that the campus community becomes familiar with the distinct tone and learns that everyone must evacuate when a hi-lo siren sounds. Similar tests will be conducted on the same day in the cities of Cotati and Rohnert Park.
For this test, there is nothing you need to do. Please do not evacuate. In the event of a real emergency evacuation, you should leave as soon as you hear the hi-lo siren. The siren will be accompanied by notifications sent via SSU Alert and other communication channels with pertinent information to evacuate safely.
The on-campus test of the hi-lo siren will be conducted by Chief Oweis, who is also featured in this educational video, which will be used throughout Sonoma State’s public safety campaign to further educate the campus community and prepare students, faculty, and staff for emergency events, like fires and floods, that may require sudden evacuation.
For more information, please contact the Sonoma State Police Department at police@sonoma.edu.