DESHLER, Ohio — Questions are being raised by a trained storm spotter in the Henry County village of Deshler about its protocol regarding outdoor warning sirens.
Andrew Morris, a SKYWARN storm spotter, amateur radio and weather enthusiast, reached out to Call 11 for Action because, he said, the outdoor warning sirens in Deshler did not sound on May 7 until approximately ten minutes after the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado warning.
"Before the sirens went off, I was driving through town to spot stuff and there was still a bunch of people outside looking around because the sirens weren't going off," Morris said. "It was a confirmed tornado and Clint Smith, a council member who's on the fire department, tried to tell me they didn't set them off because it wasn't observed. But when I showed him the message from the NWS, it said that it was a confirmed event."
Call 11 for Action reached out to Smith for an explanation as to why the sirens were not sounded until several minutes after the tornado warning was issued. Smith said, "I have no comment."
In messages exchanged with Morris on social media, Smith said, "I have explained this to you once already! If you set them off to (sic) early people come back out before the storm even hits. We sat (sic) the sirens off 10 minutes before any confirmed tornado. And then we sat (sic) them off again once we had a visual funnel cloud. If you set them off every time there is a storm people will begin to ignore them. You are not the only trained storm watcher in the world. We have all taken classes on this."
According to the NWS, siren activation is recommended for a "Tornado Warning issued by the National Weather Service and/or a tornado or funnel cloud reported by a trained spotter. Sirens should be sounded for three to five minutes, resounding for the duration of the threat (every 10 to 15 minutes is recommended)."
Deshler has three outdoor warning sirens, owned and maintained by the village.
Morris said he has been unable to figure out who exactly is responsible for setting those off.
"I've tried everything. I've went to meetings, I've talked to them they tell me it's on the sheriff's office, the sheriff tells me it's on them. It's just back and forth," Morris said. "I got a letter from the county commissioner saying, it's not them it's the village. The village says no, it's them."
Call 11 for Action got to the bottom of it.
The Henry County Emergency Management Agency Director Nick Nye, Sheriff Michael Bodenbender and Mayor Michael Woods told Call 11 for Action that it is the fire department's responsibility to make the call on when to sound the sirens. The sheriff's office then physically sounds the sirens.
Multiple messages left for Deshler Fire Chief Willis Croninger as to what protocol is used in Deshler for activation of the sirens, as well as why they were not sounded immediately after the tornado warning was issued, were also left unreturned.
Morris is not the only one who thought the decision on May 7 was made too late.
"I remember hearing the sirens, but it was after I was trying to get my mom downstairs," Tammy Rayle, a Deshler resident, said.
Rayle said she was already helping her 84-year-old mother get to safety when she heard the siren, which is right across the street.
"We had already seen it on my telephone and her telephone, and I said, 'We have to get downstairs.' I pretty much knew," Rayle said. "And then while I'm doing all that, the sirens, we heard them. But they should have went off sooner."
WTOL 11 meteorologist John Burchfield said outdoor warning sirens should sound as soon as a tornado warning is issued and certainly if a tornado is spotted.
"If there's a tornado that's being reported, being confirmed, the sirens should have been set off, ideally, a few minutes ago," Burchfield said. "You also have the issue of lead time. Minutes are everything when it comes to severe weather and protecting lives and property."
Henry County residents can sign up for text alerts on the county's website at henrycountyohio.gov and Burchfield said people should not rely only on sirens.
"There are some issues with them and as a result, I think it's important to have multiple modes of getting that weather information," Burchfield said. "Of course, your local TV station is one, the WTOL 11 Weather app is another, even a NOAA weather radio at home is a great way to get those alerts."
Burchfield and the NWS also stress that outdoor warning sirens are only meant to be heard outside and one should not expect to hear them sound while indoors.
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