Muskingum County Commissioners met with Jeff Jadwin, Director of Muskingum County Emergency Management Agency, to approve and sign a new disaster siren servicing contract.

“The service contract that says we’re always able to protect our citizens in the case of a tornado or some type of disaster, that the sirens can be set off,” Jadwin said.

JD Johnson Sales and Service was awarded the year-long servicing contract that is set to begin at the start of the state’s new fiscal year, July 1, 2018, and will be in effect through June 30, 2019.

The contract’s costs will be turned over to the state for reimbursement. The state will reimburse for half of the contract’s costs.

There are currently 44 sirens in the county; 43 permanent sirens and one mobile siren that can be transported to any of the permanent locations in the case of a service issue. The mobile siren is kept at the EMA office.

All of the disaster sirens are functioning properly. A couple of weeks ago the siren that is located behind the dog pound, which serves the surrounding areas including Ohio University’s Zanesville branch and Zanesville State College, malfunctioned due to water in the cabinet, Jadwin said. The company that currently holds the disaster siren servicing contract, Commercial Electronics, was able to fix the issue that evening.