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Des Moines County approves controller upgrade for outdoor warning siren; rural-basic funds to cover controller
Summary
Emergency Management told the board the county must replace an end-of-life VHF controller for an unincorporated-area siren with an ISIX controller that will be funded from rural basic; board approved the controller upgrade (not the siren horn).
The board voted to approve replacing an aging outdoor-warning-system controller that Emergency Management said is at end of life.
Shannon Brago, Emergency Management coordinator, told supervisors the county's controller for an unincorporated-area siren must be migrated from a VHF system to an ISIX controller. "We've been having issues every month with the sirens. . . the system itself is at end of life and it's time," Brago said. She clarified the purchase is for the controller only and not to replace the siren horns themselves, which "do still work."
Brago said the expense will come from rural basic so city residents will not be taxed twice for the upgrade. The staff explanation noted municipalities own their own sirens and will eventually undertake similar transitions.
Why this matters: Outdoor warning systems remain part of county severe-weather response, but officials said sirens alone do not reliably reach everyone indoors; the controller upgrade is intended to restore reliable activation while Emergency Management encourages residents to register for Smart 911/Alert Iowa for direct smartphone or phone alerts.
Outcome: Supervisors approved the controller mitigation and directed staff to proceed with grant/contract steps listed in the packet.
