If at least one neutron star ( NS ) is magnetized in a binary NS merger , then the orbital motion of the conducting companion during the final inspiral induces a strong voltage and current along the magnetic field lines connecting the NSs . If a modest fraction \eta of the extracted electromagnetic power extracted accelerates relativistic particles , the resulting gamma-ray emission a compact volume will result in the formation of an electron-positron pair fireball . Applying a steady-state pair wind model , we quantify the detectability of the precursor fireball with gamma-ray satellites . For \eta \sim 1 the gamma-ray detection horizon of D _ { max } \approx 10 ( B _ { d } / 10 ^ { 14 } G ) ^ { 3 / 4 } is much closer than the Advanced LIGO/Virgo horizon of 200 Mpc , unless the NS surface magnetic field strength is very large , B _ { d } \mathrel { \hbox { \hbox to 0.0 pt { \hbox { \lower 4.0 pt \hbox { $ \sim$ } } } \hbox { % $ > $ } } } 10 ^ { 15 } G. Given the quasi-isotropic nature of the emission , mergers with weaker NS fields could contribute a nearby population of short gamma-ray bursts . Power not dissipated close to the binary is carried to infinity along the open field lines by a large scale Poynting flux . Reconnection within this outflow , well outside of the pair photosphere , provides a potential site for non-thermal emission , such as a coherent millisecond radio burst .