Rayma Silvers/Tribune Photo Fort Scott Police School Resource Officer Toby Nighswonger presents an Informer Series Tone Alert Receiver to Eugene Ware principal Billie Jo Drake on Monday. The Informers will help alert school administration of possible tornadic activity in the area.

Tornado safety in schools has been on the minds of many people recently and for good reason as tornadic storms can strike at almost any time of the year is Southeast Kansas.

According to the Kansas Association of School Boards, recent legislature requires schools become more mindful of tornado safety in their buildings. Senate Bill 534 charges school districts with the responsibility of reviewing and inspecting all district school buildings and making necessary improvements in regards to tornado safety.

In a separate effort, the Fort Scott Police Department has also been taking strides to cast a greater safety net should a tornado rip its way through the local area. According to Fort Scott Public Safety Director Jeff Davis and FSPD Lt. Shaun West, Fort Scott is equipped with outdoor tornado sirens, which give area residents and schools advance warning of tornadic weather. However, West said the police department wanted to provide each school with some inside protection as well.

For this reason, the FSPD has purchased Informer Series Tone Alert Receivers (Informers) for each of the schools in Fort Scott. According to Federal Signal Safety and Security Systems, www.federalwarningsystems.com, the Informers are receivers specifically designed for warning applications. With a built-in battery and charger, the Informers provide reliable warnings even in the event of power failure.

The Informers are programmed to the same frequency as the outdoor tornado sirens in town. When the FSPD Dispatchers activate the regular tornado sirens, the Informers will also activate, Fort Scott Police School Resource Officer Toby Nighswonger said.

The high-pitched alarm, will alert school administration of possible danger, allowing more time for the students to reach a safe place, according to West.

West said the Informers have been installed in the schools "to give our school children a higher level of protection."

According to Davis, since teachers and students do not always have access to radio or television throughout the day, the Informers allow faculty and staff to constantly monitor possible tornadic activity.

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Expanding on Davis' comments, West said, "It's an effort to improve safety for school children."

The Informers have been set up at Winfield Scott, Eugene Ware, Fort Scott Middle School, Fort Scott High School, the Learning Center building, Fort Scott Christian Heights, St. Mary's Catholic School and Christian Learning Center, according to West.

The Informers at each of these locations will be tested monthly at the same time the outside sirens are tested. Nighswonger said he will personally contact each school after the tests to make sure the Informers' functioned accurately during the tests. This will help ensure the indoor sirens are working properly in an actual emergency, he said.