Mykolaiv are working on a backup notification system that does not depend on blackouts

Public notification system. Photo from open sources

The First Deputy Mayor of Mykolaiv, Vitalii Lukov, said that the authorities are working on providing the city with a backup warning system, thanks to which the air alarm signal will sound regardless of power outages.

Vitalii Lukov said this in a comment to the NikVesti journalist.

Due to the power outage in Mykolaiv, part of the loudspeakers that notify about the air alarm are not working. According to the deputy mayor, a powerful power supply unit is needed to start them when the lights are turned off. But a generator or a solar panel will not be able to provide the necessary charge.

«The generator here (on old alarm systems, — note) will not work, there will not be enough power. Some of the howlers are installed on private objects, and we cannot do this (try to heal the loudspeaker, note) on them. In order to at least partially leave the city with an alert system at all our utility companies, we connected modernized alert systems to generators, where the alert system turns on on time. The air alarm signal comes through the connection, which is always there, but to turn on the loudspeakers — there is a problem with this. I can't even say when we can change that. This requires a large number of organizational and technical things, and this is the problem of all cities of Ukraine,» said Vitalii Lukov.

The deputy assured that the local authorities continue to modernize the notification system, especially in the remote areas of Mykolaiv and places of the greatest concentration of people.

«They try to provide power with additional batteries, they are charged when there is electricity. But this is already for modern loudspeakers, they need less power and their operation can be ensured. And those of the Soviet type are reliable, powerful, but very energy-intensive,» said Vitalii Lukov.

He also said that utilities are working on installing less powerful battery-powered loudspeakers that will help provide the city with a backup public address system.

«I can't say how many there are, but there are dozens and dozens of points. We expect to complete the modernization of the existing notification system sometime before the end of the summer. This process is not stopped. Back in the fall, the city council raised the issue of our system's response to blackouts, then we did an audit, made backup connections at utility companies and asked private facilities to do the same,» said Vitalii Lukov.

Vitalii Lukov added that if the sound warning system is turned off, Mykolaiv citizens can check whether there is an air alert in the city through electronic resources, including radio, television, and the press services of local authorities.

We will remind you how in November of last year, the deputy of the Mykolaiv City Council, Serhii Kantor, said that the citizens ignore the air warning signals, including when they are on the Cathedral Square. He offered the city hall to include a recording with a request to vacate the square during the siren.

We will also remind you that as of the beginning of 2024 in the Mykolaiv Oblast, air alarms lasted almost 80 days in total.

In February, the «Air Alarm» application was updated in Ukraine. This version allows you to receive warnings about increased danger in individual cities and communities.