County officials are right to make sure they save the tornado sirens for real emergencies.

Better safe than sorry isn’t the best philosophy for the people who operate the county’s emergency sirens.

Paula Phillips, director of emergency preparedness for Douglas County, said her team debated Monday night whether to sound the sirens when the National Weather Service posted a tornado warning for Douglas County. They decided to hold off, she said, because none of their spotters had seen a tornado in the area.

It was the right call. There was hail and heavy rain, but no tornado in Douglas County.

The effectiveness of the tornado warning system depends on people taking the sirens seriously. There were no deaths or serious injuries in the tornado that hit Lawrence about a year ago because trackers were able to give advanced warning of the storm and people knew when they heard the sirens it was time to take cover. Because Douglas County officials don’t sound the sirens often, the public knows they shouldn’t be ignored.

Local residents have a high degree of confidence in the county’s network of spotters and sirens. This confidence puts a lot of pressure on county officials and volunteers to watch the sky and decide when it is time to sound an alarm.

The Douglas County storm watchers have proven equal to the task and deserve the community’s thanks.