ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (WOWO) – Allen County Commissioners have unanimously approved a $28,000 assessment of the county’s emergency siren system.

In a joint contract between the Purdue Fort Wayne Research Center and the City of Fort Wayne, the City will pay half of the total contract price, according to The Journal Gazette.

The assessment will study the sirens’ functionality and the system’s effectiveness overall. The study is expected to run from November 2018 through June 2019.

New technologies, such as automatic phone calls or text messages, may be added to the emergency alert system as the study sees fit. Allen County’s Director of Homeland Security, Bernie Beier, says the new technologies may be more effective at reaching residents.

Currently, there are 55 sirens throughout the county, most of which are within Fort Wayne city limits. The sirens are in “various states of existence,” according to Commissioner Nelson Peters.