MONCLOVA, Ohio — Lucas County tested all of its outdoor warning sirens Friday. At noon, the sound of their trademark wail could be heard in many places across the area, but WTOL 11 found three in the county that remained silent.
One was in the 6500 block of Monclova Road in Monclova Township, another one was on Stadium Road in Oregon and a third could be seen off of Cemetery Road in Whitehouse.
While there are over 130 sirens in Lucas County, if you live between Monclova and Whitehouse it's possible you didn't hear any sirens at all.
It's an issue Abby Buchhop, the director of Lucas County Emergency Management Agency, said they've been aware of the problem sirens for a while. They've known about the broken siren in Oregon since June, and the two others since July.
So why are they still out of service?
According to Bucchop, the actual repair process is done by a third party.
"Following the reported siren concerns, Lucas County submitted a work order to the siren vendor for inspection and/or repair," Buchhop said in a statement. "The sirens have been inspected by the vendor and we are awaiting an update for repairs and/or quotes for repairs following the vendor's diagnosis."
Buchhop said she is unsure how long it will take until the sirens are functioning again, because the company that fixes the sirens services large sections of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
But that means that there are many who won't be able to rely on sirens to help prepare for tornadoes. So what should they turn to instead?
Monclova fire chief Andrew Sauder advised registering for phone alerts through the county by submitting your info at lucascountyalerts.com to get countywide updates on safety, not just for tornadoes, but also for other emergencies like boil advisories.