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Emergency Management proposes radio tower and five weather stations; reports drills, credentialing and planning
Summary
Emergency Management staff told the committee about participation in statewide readiness drills, upcoming credentialing and emergency operations plan reviews, and proposed a multi‑agency radio tower (estimated about $150,000) and purchase of five Tempest weather stations for outlying villages.
Stephenson County’s Emergency Management staff briefed the committee on recent statewide exercises, credentialing requirements and several proposed investments to bolster communications and localized weather monitoring.
The EMA representative said the office participated in the IEMA START COMP 21 drill on June 1 and attended a recovery and resilience session on June 20 focused on engaging local businesses in economic recovery plans. EMA staff also reviewed mass‑casualty reunification planning and said the county’s emergency operations plan is scheduled for review and finalization in 2027 while credentialing for the office is due in 2026.
On infrastructure, EMA described a multi‑department request from the highway department to place a radio tower at the Common Road intersection to serve as a backup VHF communications tower for the sheriff and to benefit highway and village communications. The cost was described as “probably looking at about a 150,000 when it's all said and done.” EMA said the tower would be a multi‑department project and that more detailed labor and installation costs remain to be developed.
EMA also proposed buying five compact, solar‑powered Tempest weather stations — one for the county and four for Pearl City, Lena, Dakota and German Valley — to broaden localized weather monitoring. The equipment detects lightning, precipitation amounts, temperature, wind, and humidity, EMA said.
Why it matters: Improved communications infrastructure and distributed weather data can aid emergency response in rural counties; the radio tower and weather stations would require capital funding and interdepartmental coordination. EMA staff said the annual report and credentialing submissions keep the office grant eligible.
Details and next steps: EMA will continue to refine cost estimates for the tower (material costs identified; installation/labor estimates outstanding) and to pursue weather‑station procurement with input from villages and public‑safety partners.
