FOX 2: St. Louis siren repaired

St. Louis crews reinstalled one of the city’s last broken tornado sirens on Thursday, May 21, putting it back into service as officials work to finish repairs to the city’s outdoor warning network. FOX 2 reported the siren was installed on Wells Drive in Forest Park and described it as one of the final fixes in the systemwide restoration. The report said St. Louis is now only a few pieces away from a complete repair of the warning network. The city has said the work remains on track to be wrapped up by the end of May. ### Which siren was repaired, and where did crews put it back up? Wells Drive in Forest Park was the location of the May 21 installation, according to FOX 2. The station said crews raised the repaired siren Thursday morning and returned it to public alert duty after it had been out of service. (fox2now.com) St. Louis Fire Captain Calvin Stewart Jr. told FOX 2 the site was “an ideal spot for an outdoor warning siren.” Stewart said the Board of Public Service and other partners worked together to confirm the placement. ### Who did the repair work, and what changed on the equipment? GTSI handled the installation work shown by FOX 2. (fox2now.com) Chris Ginder of GTSI told the station the job would take about two hours and said the crew was working with a 60-foot pole that had to be secured so it would not become a hazard. Solar panels are now part of the setup, FOX 2 reported. (fox2now.com) The station said the panels will power the siren off-grid by charging batteries, a change intended to keep the unit operating even during darker periods. ### Why has St. Louis been rebuilding the siren system? A May 16, 2025 EF-3 tornado exposed failures in the city’s warning system when sirens did not sound in some areas before the storm, FOX 2 reported last year. (fox2now.com) After that storm, Mayor Cara Spencer moved control of the siren system to the St. Louis Fire Department, and Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said the city reviewed equipment and replacement needs. St. Louis Public Radio reported that the outdoor warning system remained under scrutiny into 2026 because the sirens did not sound on the day of the 2025 storm, more than a third of them were not functioning, and there was confusion over who was responsible for activating them. STLPR also reported that a faulty console at fire department headquarters was later repaired. (fox2now.com) ### How far along is the broader repair program? St. Louis officials said in April that the city had made major improvements, including a fully automated tornado siren network designed to activate when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for the city. Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said then that the work was about “restoring trust in a system that people rely on in critical moments.” (stlpr.org) Spectrum News reported on May 15 that crews planned to replace the last eight sirens beginning that week. The outlet said only three were not then operating, with mobile units covering those service areas until replacements were complete, and said all 60 warning sirens were expected to emit stronger sound by June. (fox2now.com) ### Has the upgraded system had any problems this spring? May 4 brought an accidental activation of the outdoor warning sirens, according to St. Louis Public Radio. The outlet said the city attributed the incident to a “technical issue” and noted there were thunderstorms in the area but no active weather warnings when the sirens sounded. (spectrumlocalnews.com) Spectrum News reported that after the May 4 incident, the system developer was contacted to patch the system to prevent another unintended activation. The same report said sirens had sounded with complete coverage during multiple storms this season. May 31 is the target date city officials have given for wrapping up the remaining warning-network repairs, according to FOX 2’s May 21 report. (stlpr.org) By June, Spectrum News reported, all 60 St. Louis warning sirens are expected to operate with stronger sound as the final replacements are completed. (fox2now.com) (spectrumlocalnews.com)