The CAER siren system consists of 40 sirens throughout the Greater Lake Charles area that were manufactured by Whelen of Connecticut. There are 22 sirens on the east side of the Calcasieu River and 18 on the west side of the river. All of the sirens on the east side of the Calcasieu River are tested and primarily activated by the City of Lake Charles Fire Department. On the west side of the parish, the City of Westlake tests and is the primary activating agency of 7 of the sirens. The City of Sulphur tests and is the primary activator of the other 11 sirens. The CAER sirens are concentrated within the city limits of Lake Charles, Sulphur, Westlake, the areas between these municipalities, and the Carlyss area.

     The CAER siren system contains various models due to the dates of purchase ranging from 1984 to 1998. Siren models that are currently in use include both directional and omni-directional sirens (broadcasts in all directions simultaneously). The directional sirens include the following models: WS-3000, WS-4000, WPS-3000, and WPS-4000. The omni-directional sirens are the most recent installations and are all model WPS 2800. Most of the sirens in the parish are the directional type and therefore must be rotated to notify in a 360-degree radius, but are less expensive in initial cost. None of the current sirens are currently enabled to be "two-way" sirens, but with modifications, some can be enabled to transmit as well as receive signals. The WS models cannot be enabled to be two-way, while the WPS models can be modified to have two-way capability. These modifications include additional equipment and a transmitter. Two-way transmissions allow feedback to the alerting agency on the status of the siren and whether or not it is working. The 3000 series sirens are no longer manufactured and the 4000 series sirens are still currently available. The 3000 series sirens' boards are not replaceable but individual parts may be replaceable. If these are to be repaired, it will have to be done by Whelen in Connecticut. Most sirens have a maximum effective distance of approximately 1 mile and are all programmed to perform a "wail" tone upon activation.

     As of 2000, the CAER organization uses a radio signal repeater that allows each municipality to activate any of the sirens in the CAER system. The repeater for the CAER Siren System can be seen on I-10 on left, just past the western interchange with I-210. All radio signals are amplified and repeated to reach all CAER sirens in Calcasieu Parish. If the repeater fails, direct communication between the transmitter and the siren can still be done.