The Dallas County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency will have its regularly scheduled emergency outdoor warning sirens test at 10 a.m. July 3.

Dallas County DHS/EMA Director Toya Stiles said testing of the sirens is necessary to ensure all systems are working properly.

The sirens are designed to be audible to people outdoors. A weather radio should also be used inside the home to alert residents in the event of severe weather.

Residents aren’t expected to take action in conjunction with the testing underway.  All of the sirens are repaired and expected to sound solid during testing.

Barring severe weather in the area, siren testing will take place the first Tuesday each month between 10 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. If severe weather falls on the test date, the test will be held the following Wednesday.

If residents can’t hear sirens in their respective areas, they should call the Dallas County DHS/EMA at (334) 874-2515.

“It is very important to test the sirens monthly to make sure there are no malfunctions and to make sure they are working properly,” Stiles said. “We have a lot of citizens in our communities that depend on the sirens during bad weather.”

Emergency sirens are placed in 19 locations throughout the county.