Vinton County to Begin Monthly Outdoor Siren Tests Monday, March 30

The Vinton County Emergency Management Agency has announced countywide outdoor siren testing will begin Monday, March 30, with the test scheduled to start at 12 p.m., according to a public notice carried by The Telegram News. The Telegram News headline read, "Outdoor Siren Testing to be conducted in Vinton County beginning Monday, March 30," and the story included the EMA director contact for questions.

The EMA’s official announcements page states the program will recur: "Siren Test : Test occur on the last Monday of each month at 12 noon." That schedule places the March 30 event on the last Monday of March and sets a standing monthly test time for residents to expect at noon on the countywide system.

William (Bill) Faught, director of the Vinton County EMA, is listed as the point of contact for the testing. The Telegram News and the Vintonjacksoncourier both provide the same phone number for Faught, 1-740-596-3524, for anyone who has questions about the testing or "any issues dealing with Emergency Management in Vinton County."

A separate posting on the Vintonjacksoncourier’s meeting announcements page presents a conflicting start date, stating, "The Vinton County Emergency Management Agency is announcing Outdoor Siren Testing to be done starting at noon January 29." That January 29 line does not include a year on the Courier page and differs from the EMA site’s "last Monday" recurrence and the Telegram News announcement naming March 30. The EMA site and the Telegram News listing together frame the March 30/last-Monday schedule as the primary public notice, while the Courier posting remains an alternate local report.

The Vinton County EMA also published its 2026 meeting calendar and executive committee schedule alongside the siren announcement. Quarterly EMA meeting dates are listed as January 8, April 9, July 9 and October 8, 2026, with a note that "All meetings start at 12 noon." The Emergency Management Agency Executive Committee dates are January 5, April 6, July 6 and October 5, 2026, and the site notes "All meetings start at 6:00 PM."

The agency’s mission statement appears on the EMA site: "The Mission of the Vinton County Emergency Management Agency is to protect the people, property, and environment of Vinton County from all hazards through mitigation, protection, preparedness, response, and recovery." The site lists formal partners including local fire departments, EMS, law enforcement, county offices, the LEPC, Ohio EMA and the American Red Cross of Southeastern Ohio.

Vinton County’s notices do not specify how long each test will sound or whether tests will be postponed for severe weather. By comparison, a Benton County announcement shows tests on the first Wednesday of every month at 8:45 a.m. and says "The sirens will sound for approximately three (3) minutes during the test," and a Clermont County procedure states monthly tests are postponed if severe weather is forecast. Those practices are cited here only for context; the Vinton County postings do not include equivalent duration or postponement language.

Residents with questions about the siren tests may contact Vinton County EMA Director William (Bill) Faught at 1-740-596-3524. The EMA website lists the ongoing monthly testing schedule as occurring on the last Monday of each month at 12 noon.