Through an agreement with the Union County Emergency Management Agency, the software used by tornado sirens in Jerome Township and Plain City will be upgraded. There are two sirens in Plain City, including the one at the Public Works building pictured above, and another at the corner of Carriage Drive and West Avenue. There is a single siren in Jerome Township near the Township Hall.
(Photo submitted)
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Officials in the southern portion of the county are working with the local Emergency Management Agency to update tornado sirens and consider purchasing more, especially in light of recent severe weather.
Both Jerome Township and Plain City recently entered agreements with the Union County Commissioners and Emergency Management agency that allows those municipalities to take ownership of the sirens in their regions while the EMA continues to maintain them.
“I was surprised to learn we only have one in the township,” Jerome Township Trustee Barry Adler said.
Similarly, there are two tornado sirens in Plain City, both on the Madison County side of the village.
Jerome Township’s siren is located at 9777 Industrial Parkway, near the Township Hall, while Plain City has one at the Public Works building at 225 Central Avenue and one directly behind the property at 400 Carriage Drive, at the corner of West Avenue.
Union County EMA Director Brad Gilbert explained at a recently council meeting that the Union County Sheriff’s Office activates the sirens when needed, either during severe weather or for testing at noon on Wednesdays.
The Marysville Police Department is the backup agency to activate them.
Gilbert noted that, currently, all sirens go off when one siren is activated.
That means, even if a storm is moving through Richwood, sirens are also activated in Plain City.
He said that has been the safest way to operate the sirens, as “it’s a lot to ask” dispatchers at the Sheriff’s Office to determine where sirens should be activated.
“God forbid we choose wrong,” Gilbert said.
Now, he said there is software that determines which sirens should be activated to specifically alert those in the immediate area of severe weather.
The technology will still allow dispatchers to set off the sirens manually if need be, Gilbert added.
Through the ownership and maintenance agreement, Gilbert said the existing sirens would be upgraded to the new technology at no cost to the township or village. He told Plain City Council that his goal is to complete the upgrades by mid-summer.
The EMA will also pay for the annual maintenance of the sirens through the county’s general fund.
If additional sirens are purchased by the village or township, those will be maintained by the EMA as well.
Jerome Township Division of Fire Chief Doug Stewart, who works with the EMA on emergency planning efforts for the county, said the agreement is important in that it will allow officials to “pinpoint” areas of concern when alerting residents of potential danger.
However, he said he is still concerned about the limited coverage of Jerome Township’s single siren, which has about a one-mile radius.
Stewart encouraged the trustees to consider budgeting for the purchase of additional tornado sirens to be installed in high population areas.
He said he feels they should “follow development,” and listed Station 211, Glacier Ridge Metro Park and New California near Rolling Meadows as his top three priorities.
New sirens would likely cost at least $35,000, Stewart said, but could be paid for or partially funded through grants.
He said he feels the township would be a good candidate for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mitigation grant funding since Ohio has seen such severe weather this year.
On the flip side, Stewart said that will likely make the grant more competitive within the state since other municipalities will also see it as a good opportunity.
The trustees asked Stewart to work with Fiscal Officer Robert Caldwell to discuss the budget and prepare potential options to purchase additional sirens. Stewart’s recommendation will be discussed by the board at a future meeting.