Franklin County warning sirens being replaced
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Tornado sirens across Franklin County are getting some upgrades.
Last year was a record tornado year in the Buckeye state, with a total of 74 tornados touching down in 2024. Now, Franklin County Emergency Management is making sure it’s prepared in case those numbers even come close this year.
A tornado siren at McCoy Park in South Columbus is decades old and on top of a rotting pole. On Monday, March 24 Columbus City Council approved money to replace it. It’s all a part of Franklin County Emergency Management's efforts to upgrade obsolete siren technology.
"Like any mechanical or electrical device, it does require constant maintenance, so some of our sirens are up to 30 years old or have been out of production for 30 years," Director of Franklin County Emergency Management & Homeland Security Jeff Young said.
There are almost 200 sirens across the county. Franklin County EMA is looking at upgrading many of them to a more advanced version where the sound comes out of all sides, instead of the alarm spinning.
"We've got a certain number of sirens that are really hitting the end of their service life,” Young said. “So we're working with all of our jurisdictions to identify those sirens, allowing them to budget for them as well as us to plan replacing them on our terms."
One siren being replaced at McCoy Park will cost $80,000. Not only will this make this spot safer, but it will increase the coverage area so a nearby, old siren can be removed.
"This is part of a planned replacement for a siren that's come to the end of its service life,” Young said. “It also allows us to evaluate locations. Do we want to shift the location of a siren a little bit, which might provide more benefit as the community's ever-changing, ever-developing, as people move slightly different and buildings change? You know, we always are kind of looking to say, you know, to decide if the siren system in its entirety is the best it can be today.”