New alarm system to be tested Tuesday at evacuated Winnipeg apartment block: city

A new alarm system will be tested at a Portage Avenue apartment block that was evacuated a month ago due to structural safety concerns, the City of Winnipeg says.

People near 2440 Portage Ave., also known as Birchwood Terrace, will hear a loud siren go off at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., but the city warns that it is just a test and no action will need to be taken.

The alarm will alert people in the area about any change in the stability of the building, and whether it's at risk of collapsing, the city said in a Monday news release.

Tasha Shiaro, who lives on Assiniboine Crescent behind the Birchwood Terrace apartment building, received the notification from the city on Monday.

"There's going to be an alarm that's an audible horn, and there may or may not be a strobe light that goes along with it," she said.

"It's more for the workers in the building, so if there's a potential danger of collapse and they want everyone to evacuate as soon as possible, if we hear it, we're supposed to go across the road."

Shiaro and her neighbours have talked about the risk of collapse, but she says she doesn't feel like her property is in danger.

"It's still more concerning for the apartment block. I think anything we get at this point will just be shrapnel," she said.

"It's not great, but again, I just think we're in just such a better spot than the people that were in that apartment. I don't think we're in danger of having our property collapse with all our stuff inside of it."

The city said it ordered the evacuation of the 171-suite building on May 9 after it was notified of a third-party engineering inspection that found serious structural deterioration in columns of the building's parkade.

Residents in nearby homes or buildings should shelter in place if the alarm goes off outside of the Tuesday testing time, the city says. People and drivers who are outside should move away from the area if they hear it.

Residents under an evacuation alert have been told to leave immediately if the alarm goes off, and they will be told when it's safe to return.

An "all clear" will be announced through a loudspeaker when the area is determined to be safe.

The city says false alarms are also possible, and residents should treat them as a real emergency.

The alarm system is expected to stay in place for the next three to four weeks.