Two new outdoor emergency alert sirens were installed Wednesday as part of the City of Greenville’s continuing efforts to improve early warning for severe weather and other life threatening situations.

The sirens were placed at Fort Robert E. Steiner, the former Alabama National Guard armory, and Dunbar Park.

The addition of the new sirens brings the total number of emergency alert sirens in the city to four. The city already had sirens located downtown near City Hall and near Walmart.

“This will allow is to have a siren on each end of town, which will help us better alert people to potentially dangerous storms,” Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon said at the time the grant was awarded.

The new sirens were purchased through the Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which helped offset the cost of installing additional sires in the city.

The sirens cost $43,060, but thanks to the grant, the city was responsible for just $10,765. The city also paid $1,104.10 for the purchase and installation of two utility poles to serve as a base for the sirens.

“We were very fortunate to get the grant that allowed us to install these sirens and expand our outdoor warning system,” Greenville Fire Department Chief Chad Phillips said. “They will certainly help us alert everyone of dangerous situations, but I’d remind everyone that these sirens are just one avenue to stay alert of potentially dangerous situations. There are many, many other ways to stay on top of these situations, like weather radios, apps for your phone, text alerts and the media. These sirens will be a big help in notifying people of potentially dangerous situations, but they don’t need to be the only thing our citizens rely on.”