Fulton Co system ready for winter

WAUSEON, Ohio - Just as winter arrives and Fulton County can be expected to be covered in a blanket of snow, residents will also be covered in a blanket of protection come severe weather season in the spring to follow.

EMS Director Brett Kolb announced the county's 36 weather alert sirens are all installed and in working order.

"Based upon the populated areas, we are very well covered," he told commissioners last week. "We could possibly use one in the northeast corner of Archbold near Sauder Village. The only other area I see is the south side of Swanton."

Kolb said existing grant money has been expended for the current sirens, but should more money be made available, those are the top priority areas for new sirens. Additional sirens could be added after those are installed, he said.

Kolb said recent tests showed all but one of the sirens is working properly. That siren is located at the Wauseon Municipal Building and the faulty controller is in the process of being replaced. A new controller costs $5,000, but Kolb said he purchased a used one for $700 with a 5-year warranty.

Commissioner Paul Barnaby asked Kolb if there was any possibility of moving the three sirens into township areas where there are no longer school buildings. Kolb said he has had discussion with those townships, but he believes the sirens are best left where they are.

He also told commissioners about a talk-back system. This system uses radio waves to communicate with each of the 36 sirens to give a report on how each is working. Current tests require each siren to be heard by a human ear to know for sure if they are sounding off as they should.

The new system would eliminate that need during the monthly siren tests. Tests are done at noon on the first Friday of each month. Kolb said a former quote for such a system was in the range of $150,000. He noted that he is seeking a new quote and the project could possibly be done in phases over the next several years.

"If we can not get a grant to cover this upgrade, I would suggest that we start doing six sirens a year, That would take us six years to get it done and spread out the cost of the upgrades," Kolb said. "We would do the outlying ones first and put the talk-back system in those. There are already a lot of people in the city and villages to hear the sirens during tests."

"We have a great system but it would be tough if we had a situation and they did not work," Dean Genter said of the current sirens.

The siren upgrades would cost about $25,000 for each group of six. Kolb said if grant funding were available, the county would only be paying $12,500 each year. In the interim, he suggested the project begin as soon as possible.

"We can get that project started," he said. "If there is grant money available down the road, then that would be great. If we wait for a grant (to get started) we could end up waiting ourselves out."

(The Fulton County Expositor newspaper is a FOX Toledo News media partner)