Vinton County EMA to Test Outdoor Warning Sirens Countywide March 30

If you were outside at noon Monday and the air stayed silent, Vinton County EMA director Bill Faught wants to hear from you.

The countywide outdoor warning siren test conducted March 30 was the latest in a standing monthly accountability check: every siren in the county activates at noon on the last Monday of each month, giving Faught's office and its local fire department partners a window to identify units that have degraded or gone dark before tornado season demands them in real emergencies.

What residents should have heard: a sustained, steady tone audible in open air. Sirens are engineered to reach people outdoors, whether working a field, attending a community event, or walking to their car, not to penetrate closed windows or interior walls. If you were inside and heard nothing, that is by design. If you were standing outside in open air and still got no signal, that gap is worth reporting.

Rural terrain makes coverage a persistent concern in Vinton County. The hollows and forested ridgelines around Wilkesville and Zaleski, both served by volunteer fire departments operating under the EMA's coordination network, can limit siren range even when hardware is fully operational. A malfunctioning unit in those areas can leave entire road corridors and surrounding farms without any outdoor warning. Residents in those communities who noticed nothing at noon Monday should call 740-596-3524 and provide a general location to Faught's office.

Sirens are one layer in a multi-channel alert system. For indoor and overnight coverage, NOAA Weather Radio, which broadcasts continuous National Weather Service bulletins and can trigger an alarm tone on battery backup during a power outage, is a preparedness item Vinton County EMA recommends for every household. Vinton County also uses Hyper Reach for mass emergency notifications; residents can register by calling 740-669-7798. Wireless Emergency Alerts push to most smartphones automatically, but require cell service and a powered-on device, conditions that can fail during the worst storms.

On shelter: identify an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy structure, away from windows, before a warning is ever issued. Rural residents far from public buildings face that need most acutely, and a decision made in advance is far safer than one made under a rotating sky.

Faught coordinates Vinton County's all-hazards network alongside Hamden Fire, McArthur Fire, Wilkesville Fire, Zaleski Fire, Harrison Township Fire/EMS, and Vinton County EMS. To report a siren that failed to sound or to ask questions about Monday's test, the number is 740-596-3524.