ASHLAND — Ashland County commissioners approved a $13,000 quote to update two additional tornado sirens with digital technology that promises better radio signals.
Late last year, commissioners hired Vasu Communications to equip sirens with the state’s Multi-Agency Radio Communication System, a digital technology that boasts stronger radio signals.
Since then, the company has worked on 22 sirens that are scattered throughout the county.
There were two additional sirens, however, that still needed separate approval for the MARCS upgrade — one located at Hillsdale High School and another near Ashland University. These are the sirens county commissioners approved money for on Thursday.
The funds for the MARCS upgrades to those sirens will be paid for with Emergency Management Agency equipment funds, according to commissioners.
The action aligns with the county’s effort to migrate its communications technology to MARCS, dropping the older VHF hardware that has been in place for decades.
The upgrades do not involve an additional monthly fee because the upgrades don’t mean the sirens will be replaced. It’s just the “repeaters” that are used to activate the sirens that are getting MARCS upgrades.
The county’s sheriff office and fire departments across the county already use MARCS, along with the City of Ashland’s Police Division.
