• St. Louis emergency management chief Sarah Russell placed on leave after sirens failed to activate during a tornado.
• The tornado hit on May 16, causing five fatalities and numerous injuries.
• The sirens were not activated due to ambiguity in communication and malfunctioning equipment.
• Mayor Cara Spencer has revised siren activation protocols to improve response during emergencies.
• John Walk appointed interim emergency management commissioner amid investigation.

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer announced that Sarah Russell, the commissioner of the City Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), has been placed on paid administrative leave following the failure to activate tornado warning sirens before a deadly storm struck on May 16. This storm resulted in the deaths of five people and injuries to approximately 40 others, making it one of the most devastating events the city has faced, according to CBS News and New York Times.

The failure of the sirens to activate is linked to Russell's absence from the CEMA office due to an offsite workshop, which hindered the team's ability to respond promptly. Instead, Russell attempted to relay the activation order to the Fire Department, but the directive was described as "ambiguous." Spencer's office has released recordings of this communication, highlighting that the instructions given did not clearly prompt the activation of sirens, according to India Times and New York Times.

Compounding the issue, it was discovered that a backup mechanism for the siren activation at the Fire Department was inoperative. In light of these failures, Mayor Spencer has instituted a new protocol that assigns sole responsibility for the activation of the sirens to the Fire Department, effective immediately. Spencer stated, "With the mayor's executive order, this lack of clarity has now been eliminated," aiming to bolster the effectiveness of the emergency response system, according to CBS News, India Times, and New York Times.

As part of the restructuring, the CEMA will have personnel stationed at the main office to ensure constant availability for activating sirens, and Fire Captain John Walk will temporarily step in as the interim commissioner until a permanent appointment is made. Spencer emphasized that the failure to activate the sirens severely undermined the agency's purpose to alert the public during critical weather threats, exacerbating the tragic outcomes of the May 16 tornado.