New warning sirens for Lakemoor, Johnsburg area

The McHenry Township Fire Protection District and its board of trustees has installed two new state-of-the art outdoor warning sirens to replace outdated ones at Station 2, 3710 Johnsburg Road in Johnsburg, and Station 3, 809 Rand Road (Route 120) in Lakemoor.

The sirens that were replaced had been installed about 50 years ago and were originally used to alert volunteer firefighters of incoming calls for assistance.

"These new sirens cover a much larger area and utilize the most current technology. As a result, the residents living in the area will be better alerted in the event of a weather emergency," according to Fire Chief Tony Huemann.

The cost of the new siren at Station 2 is shared with the village of Johnsburg. Each new siren cost $14,867, and each village is splitting the cost with the fire district.

The fire district also is exploring a partnership with the villages of Ringwood and McCullom Lake to install a new siren on the future site of Station 5, which will be at 3705 Ringwood Road in Ringwood.

The new sirens are tied into the city of McHenry dispatch center, which provides the ability to activate them simultaneously with those in McHenry.

The installation of these two new sirens, and the potential for an additional siren when Fire Station 5 is built, is made possible thanks to the intergovernmental cooperation and cost sharing between the village boards of the communities and the McHenry Township Fire Protection District board of trustees.