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Whitley County applies for FEMA grant to replace outdoor warning sirens
Summary
Emergency management told the council the county submitted a FEMA BRIC pre-application for $160,000 to replace three outdated tornado sirens and add a fourth, with a required 25% local match and township commitments to participate.
Whitley County emergency management has applied for a federal grant to replace aging outdoor warning sirens and improve countywide coverage. Ed Scott told the council the county submitted a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) pre-application seeking $160,000 to replace or add four outdoor warning sirens.
"We put in for $160,000 to go after replacing or putting in four outdoor early warning sirens throughout the community," Scott said, adding that three existing civil-defense–era units are outdated, one is not working and two require manual activation.
If the BRIC grant is approved, the award would carry a 75/25 split, meaning the county-side match would be roughly $40,000. Scott said he had spoken with the four trustees representing the areas identified for coverage — Larwell, South Whitley, Thorn Creek and Smith Township — and they agreed to participate, with an expected local contribution of about $10,000 each. He also said a local foundation had offered to match up to $20,000 of the local share if the grant is awarded.
Scott described both replacement and coverage goals: at least three sirens would be replaced, and one community would receive an additional north-side location to improve reach. He emphasized a desire for remote activation capability so local fire departments or dispatch could trigger sirens centrally rather than relying on someone to travel to a unit during a storm.
The pre-application was filed in April; Scott said the full application must be completed by June 19 and that FEMA's timeline for awarding grants can be lengthy. He told the council that average siren costs now run "about $35,000 to $42,000," and projected that with township contributions and the potential foundation match, the township out-of-pocket amount could be about $5,000 per community if the BRIC award is secured.
The council did not take a formal vote on the pre-application at the meeting. Scott said he had already sought and gained the commissioners' support to move forward with the application and would notify the board if the project advances.
Next steps: Scott said he will complete the BRIC application by the June 19 deadline and return with updates to the commissioners and council as the grant process progresses.
