Town of Arlington's Tornado Safe Room is located at:
11842 Otto Lane, Arlington, TN 38002 
Tornado Safe Room: The Safe Room is an 8,100 square-foot facility completed in April 2014 for approximately $1,664,000 dollars. The funds were provided by FEMA (75%), TEMA (12.5%), and the Town of Arlington (12.5%).
USE: The purpose of the Safe Room is to provide protection during a short-term extreme wind event such as a tornado, with an occupancy period no greater than 2 hours. The Safe Room is not intended, designed, nor equipped, for the long-term sheltering of individuals. The capacity of the Safe Room is 1,300 individuals. Regrettably, we do not allow pets due to the potential for individuals with allergies. The room remains locked until a Tornado Warning is issued. When a Tornado Warning is issued, designated Town staff members will open the facility. Once individuals are safely inside, staff members will direct users to complete accountability documentation. Staff members will remain with the facility and update occupants on weather changes and when downgraded from a Tornado Warning.
The Safe Room can be used for community events for a fee during non-threatening weather. Citizens interested in leasing the facility for community events can contact Arlington Town Hall at 901-867-2620 to get information on cost, availability, and housekeeping requirements.
CONSTRUCTION: The Arlington dual-use community safe room has been designed and constructed in accordance with FEMA design standards, as provided in FEMA Publication 361, Second Edition, August 2008. The building can withstand an F5 Tornado with winds of 250 mph. The community safe room’s walls are concrete blocks, filled with concrete and reinforced with rebar from the roof down to where they are tied into the footing. Interior columns of steel add to the strength and go all the way through the floor to a concrete pad. The interior footings (which support the columns) are three to four times larger than normal buildings. The roof is eight-inch-thick concrete.
Outdoor Warning Sirens
The Town of Arlington has six (6) outdoor warning sirens located strategically throughout Arlington. These sirens are operated by the Shelby County Office of Preparedness and sound when a Tornado Warning has been issued for Shelby County. They are maintained by the Arlington Fire Department and Arlington Public Works. The sirens are designed to alert people outside their homes. The sirens are not designed to give warning to people inside of their homes or vehicles, therefore everyone is encouraged to have at least two methods of early warning for severe weather events.
We recommend the following actions to maintain the highest level of awareness:
- Set your smart devices to receive notifications. This can be done in the Settings tab. Contact your service provided for specific instructions for your device.
- Purchase and maintain a weather radio.
- Download your favorite weather APP and/or link to your favorite weather channel/station.
- Stay informed through your local news and weather channel
TESTING TIMES: The sirens are tested every Wednesday at 3:30 PM unless there is rain in the forecast. The reason the sirens are not tested during raining days is to avoid the chances of giving a false alarm to those within the range of the sirens. The sirens are very loud, and individuals are asked to cover their ears when near an activating siren.
The Shelby County Office of Preparedness is researching the ability to provide early warning through the outdoor warning sirens for events other than Tornado Warnings. They are still in the process of this research but in the future we may have early warning for wind, flood and hail events. 
For more information on Outdoor Warning Sirens and to see frequently asked questions go the the National Weather Service page at: www.weather.gov/dvn/sirentsFAQ