PARADISE, CA | Nov. 2026: The Town of Paradise California and HQE Systems, Inc. (HQE) recently announced that the Town’s new Advanced Emergency Siren System has passed another full town-wide, multi-channel alert test. During a recent scheduled test, all 21 Outdoor Warning Sirens installed across Paradise again activated successfully in-sync with the in-home SAFE portable alerting units which also activated, as planned, providing an extra layer of protection. The planning, timing and coordination between the town’s emergency office, local authorities and HQE ensured alert tests were audibly and visually received to everyone across the town.
In November 2018, the Camp Fire devastated the Town of Paradise, forever changing the lives of its residents and underscoring how critical every second can be during an emergency. As the community rebuilds, Paradise made a clear commitment: residents needed reliable warnings wherever they might be, whether outside, at work, or inside their homes. In 2022, the Town chose HQE Systems to turn that commitment into a complete, community-wide Emergency Siren System. Funded through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the solution combines 21 Outdoor Warning Sirens with in-home SAFE Units™, extending alerts beyond public spaces and helping ensure that every resident has a better opportunity to receive timely, potentially life-saving information.
For a community rebuilding after the Camp Fire, dependable warning is part of a broader commitment to preparedness. The outdoor sirens, in-home SAFE Units™, and the Town's other notification channels each offer a separate path to the same message, so a warning that one channel misses can still reach residents through another. Each layer is designed to support the others rather than replace them.
The recent Paradise test proved that the Town’s emergency siren system can carry one alert across the entire community, from a single activation to all 21 outdoor siren sites and directly into residents’ homes. As the sirens sounded outdoors, in-home SAFE Units™ delivered the same warning through both an audible alert and a clear on-screen message. By successfully testing the complete alerting chain, Paradise demonstrated that residents can receive the same critical warning whether they are outside in the community or inside their homes.
"Each month when we test the Emergency Warning System, the residents of our community are grateful for the redundant systems they know are ready in case of an actual emergency. We have built our system in order for our residents to receive emergency information regardless of where they are or what they are doing. Redundant emergency systems allow our community to feel safe and prepared.” said Brian Solecki, Project Manager, Town of Paradise.
The SAFE Units™ are part of HQE's SAFE Network™, a dedicated alerting network built to keep working when power and cellular service go down. Each portable unit sounds and displays the warning inside the home, and residents can take it with them during an evacuation Learn how the SAFE Network keeps alerts reaching homes when power and cell service fail. [SAFE Network™ Solution Page]
The Town's Outdoor Warning Sirens give anyone outside, in the yard or on the road, an immediate signal to take action and seek more information. See how HQE's Outdoor Warning Sirens alert entire communities: [Intelligent Voice Sirens Solution Page]
"Supporting Paradise has never been just another project for our team, because this work is deeply personal. After everything this community has endured, ensuring residents have multiple, redundant layers of warning is about honoring what was lost and protecting every family moving forward. Testing every siren and SAFE Unit every month with the Town, is how we prove that promise holds when it counts," said Qais Alkurdi, CEO, HQE Systems.
The result reflects the work of the Town's emergency management staff, the Town of Paradise Recovery & Economic Development Department, the HQE project team, and the Paradise residents who host SAFE Units in their homes.
Next Steps: Continued Monitoring and System Reliability
HQE will continue monitoring system performance using advanced AI-powered tools during the next scheduled test to confirm the results remain consistent.
Ongoing monitoring and maintenance help keep every siren and SAFE Unit™ ready, so the system performs during a real emergency the same way it does during a scheduled test.
Regular testing remains an important part of the Town's preparedness efforts. Each test helps residents become familiar with the sound of the sirens and the alerts on their SAFE Units™. Residents are encouraged to treat each scheduled test as a reminder to review their household evacuation plans, know their evacuation zone, and keep their SAFE Unit™ where it can be easily seen and heard.
The Town of Paradise tests its Outdoor Warning Sirens on the 15th of every month at noon. Residents can find the full test schedule and a map of all 21 siren locations on the Town's Emergency Siren System page. (Cite: AP Press Release)
For more on how this project began, read our earlier announcement on the Town of Paradise selecting HQE Systems: [EARLY WARNING SOLUTION – THE TOWN OF PARADISE]
Visit the Paradise Project page: [Paradise Project page]