McDonough County's 24 'mechanical' sirens, some dating back to the 1940s, were put in place back in the day as civil defense or 'air raid' style sirens.
The mechanical sirens rotate to produce the high-pitched sirens to warn in-town residents of McDonough County's nine communities that bad weather is approaching. With the old equipment and hard-to-get parts, coupled with an antiquated mechanical system, Edgar Rodriguez, the director of the county's Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA) is looking to update the sirens to ensure a better warning system for the towns within the county.
According to Rodriguez, he is looking to apply for one of two grants, including a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Building Resilience grant to upgrade the county's emergency/storm sirens. The cost to replace from mechanical to a newer, digital system will cost approximately $1 million, with FEMA grant covering roughly 75 percent, while the remaining 25 percent will come from municipalities within the county. Sirens are in place in Adair, Blandisville, Bushnell, Colchester, Good Hope, Industry, Macomb (including one by Spring Lake), Sciota and Tennessee, with the majority in Macomb's city limits based on population density, he explained.
'I always like to remind people that these sirens were installed before a lot of the technology we have today was in place. Back in the day, before double-pane windows, insulation, cell phones and weather radios, these sirens, though designed for outdoor warning, could be heard indoors. Today, we have a variety of ways to communicate, so I stress that people should have multiple ways to receive warnings,' Rodriguez pointed out.
That said, a storm-warning system for hazardous weather needs to be in place as more people are outdoors during the summer months, at ball games, events and other activities. He points to the system that failed in Texas during the mass flooding event, noting that the outdoor sirens, coupled with other alert mechanisms, are crucial for a community's safety during severe storm events, which include high winds, large hail, heavy rain, lightening, and of course, tornadoes.
'I know our current siren system causes a lot of confusion because we do sound these when there is large hail, winds that are damaging and dangerous lightening, basically severe thunderstorms, but we also sound the sirens when a tornado has been spotted in our region,' he added.
And because of the mechanical nature of the current sirens, there are instances in which they fail due to an obstruction, like a bird's nest or a limb lodged in the cone, which hinders the rotation. This occurred on April 17 when the Adair siren failed to go off, Rodriguez noted. The sirens are only tested on the first Tuesday of the month, so if something lodges after that time, first responders won't know until the system fails to sound. The new siren system, which will be digital, can be tested at any time with a signal and if anything fails, officials will know almost immediately. In addition, there is a speaker system component, which will allow first responders to share the exact reason for the siren, for example, take cover due to large hail.
'The new system is a highly-dependable electronic system that will automatically be activated when the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a weather statement/event for a specific location or region,' Rodriguez shared. 'It really will help decrease the human error factor in activating a siren and will increase warning times.'
If the FEMA grant isn't a possibility due to ongoing cuts at the federal level, or if the McDonough County project doesn't fit within the grant parameters, there is a grant option available through the MHMG (Multi-Hazard Mitigation Grant), Rodriguez added. Should a grant be awarded, 22 new sirens will be installed throughout the county, including one at a new location in Macomb near NTN Bower. While McDonough County's emergency sirens are in need of an upgrade and an update, the county isn't alone in its archaic system. While more urban and populated areas might have more modern systems, many are a 'smorgasbord,' Rodriguez stated, with some newer technologies within the city, but older systems in the outlying areas, citing Peoria as an example. Regardless of who has what, it's time for McDonough County to upgrade, he stressed.
'Often times these types of things might not be an immediate priority until a catastrophic event, like what happened in Texas, brings it to the forefront,' Rodriguez said matter-of-factly. 'In the city of Macomb alone we have four different models of sirens. There's no consistency between the sirens in our communities. We needed a standardized, consistent and functional system across our county that has back-up power and allows for weekly internal testing to ensure to the devices are 'communicating' between the sirens, batteries and other electronic components.'
Should ESDA receive a grant, Rodriguez will be ready as he has been working with the states attorney to draft intergovernmental agreements to be put into place between the county and the communities.
'Every community in our county needs to have some skin in the game,' he added. 'There should be much less of a cost to maintain a newer system, and there should be minimal upkeep compared to our current system. While it's the county's responsibility to provide this service, it's also the responsibility of our communities to share some of the costs.'
While the siren system is in place – and will remain in place – the county's emergency director wants to remind residents to have a reliable weather radio in their home and if they have a cell phone, ensure they are receiving critical emergency alerts.
'There may be some redundancy, but we want to make sure we have ways to reach the residents of our county to ensure their safety as much as possible during weather events,' he said.
