While lightning did strike a phone line at the new Grundy County Law Enforcement Center, the county’s 911 system remained operational throughout Thursday’s storm.
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“911 was never down,” said Trenton Police Chief Bob Lewis, who explained that the 911 repeater, which trips the storm sirens in Trenton and puts out the tones for fire and ambulance radio calls, was inoperable for a portion of the afternoon and evening.
Lewis said that he was in Mercer County and was told that a tornado warning had been issued for southwest Grundy County, but it did not list Trenton. Shortly thereafter, he was told by a deputy that rotation was seen in the clouds near Trenton. At that point, lightning hit the law enforcement center’s communication center and he lost contact with the subject with whom he was speaking. Officials attempted to trip the sirens, but with the radio system down, they could not be activated.
In addition, the business lines on the phone system for both the law enforcement center and the Grundy County Courthouse were in the process of being repaired today.
As for the 911 system itself, Chief Lewis said several 911 calls were received at the communication center during the storm. He checked this morning with the Brookfield Police Department, which confirmed that no calls were rerouted to their system from Grundy County. If Grundy County’s 911 system is not operational, those calls are rolled over to Brookfield.
Chief Lewis said that Midwest Mobile had two technicians on the scene within 30 minutes of the lightning strike and by 8 p.m., the storm sirens could have been activated, if needed. The sirens were tested today and were found to be operating. He went on to say that there are options if such a situation occurs again, including having emergency personnel with pagers put them on monitor mode and using a patrol car radio to trip the repeater.
All of the equipment damaged by the lightning strike is under warranty, Lewis said, so the county won’t be out any money for the repairs.
With the storm season still in full swing, residents are reminded that the storm sirens are meant to be heard by those who are outdoors. Trenton City Administrator Kerry Sampson and Lewis both said suggested that residents obtain a weather radio or if possible, listen to local radio or area television stations to remain informed about the weather.