Michael MacDonald
Herald Editor
Outdoor emergency sirens failed to activate in Alma during a tornado warning Sunday evening, prompting confusion among residents and leading Gratiot County Central Dispatch to conduct a detailed, on-site investigation the next day.
The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids issued the warning March 30 at 6:26 p.m. for Gratiot, Clinton, eastern Ionia, and southeastern Montcalm counties after radar indicated rotation within a fast-moving storm system capable of producing winds in excess of 60 mph.
In response, Central Dispatch activated all county-controlled sirens, which include systems in Ithaca and St. Louis. A radio signal triggers each unit, but there’s no real-time confirmation that they have sounded.
It wasn’t until reports came in from Alma residents who didn’t hear the sirens that Dave Rapacz, director of Gratiot County Central Dispatch, became aware of a possible
“The only way the dispatch center would know or not if the siren was working is the public alerting us one way or the other,” Rapacz told The Herald.
On Monday, Rapacz conducted in-person testing on each city’s system. The sirens in Ithaca and St. Louis functioned as expected. Alma’s two units were faulty.
“At the fire station, the siren didn’t activate when we sent the signal, but it did sound when the system was turned off,” Rapacz said. “The one at Riverside Cemetery didn’t activate at all.”
He noted the failure appeared to be programming issues, and both units were reported for repair.
Gratiot County tests its sirens monthly from April through October on the first Saturday of the month at 1 p.m., and also participates in a statewide test each March during National Severe Weather Awareness Week.
According to Rapacz, no reports were received from Alma following the last test prior to the storm.
“During the Saturday tests we usually receive calls asking why the sirens are sounding, and that is confirmation as well, however not as reliable,” he said. “We can also inquire from the units in the field at the time of test if the sirens are working”
In the four-hour span surrounding the weather event, Central Dispatch received 52 phone calls, including 14 related to utilities, traffic hazards and downed power lines. No injuries or significant property damage were reported, Rapacz said.
The storm system impacted much of the state. According to outage maps compiled that evening, more than 160,000 Consumers Energy customers and nearly 65,000 DTE households were without power.
Looking ahead, Rapacz said Central Dispatch is working on a broader plan to strengthen the county’s warning system.
“As a long-range plan, we would like to survey the county and get more sirens spread out across the area for these types of situations,” he said. “Right now, the priority will be to get the ones we have currently running as they are supposed to in the Alma area.”
Rapacz hopes to add one to three sirens per year over the next five years, depending on the county’s budget and broader public safety needs.
Sirens in Ashley, Perrinton, and Breckenridge are not currently part of the Central Dispatch network.
“I will be working with the local governments to upgrade and get these on the county system,” Rapacz said. “I am currently working with our vendor on solutions for those sirens.”
In the meantime, he encouraged residents to sign up for the county’s RAVE Mobile Safety Alert system. To enroll, text GC911 to 67283.
“This is free for anyone that requests to be added to the system,” Rapacz said.
A tornado most recently touched down in Newark Township on Nov. 10, 2024. The EF-0 storm tracked along Hayes Road between Rich and Alger roads from 5:50 to 5:53 p.m., with estimated wind speeds of 65 mph, according to the National Weather Service. It uprooted a tree and caused isolated damage, but no injuries were reported.