Nine Oahu warning sirens, four of them in coastal zones, were mute during the monthly test Thursday.

Civil Defense officials received reports from the public, but far fewer calls than in March when the routine test was two days after the Feb. 27 tsunami alert set off by the earthquake in Chile.

“;We did have a new batch of malfunctions, plus a siren that didn't rotate,”; said Peter Hirai, deputy director of the city Department of Emergency Management. He said Civil Defense volunteers confirmed malfunctioning sirens at Waianae High School, Waianae Shopping Center, Sunset Beach Elementary School and Hanauma Bay. Others in upper Manoa, upper Nuuanu, at Fort Ruger behind Diamond Head, Kunia School and Kalihi Elementary School did not work. The siren at Swanzy Beach Park in Kaaawa did not rotate, limiting its range.

Identifying nonworking sirens “;is like taking a snapshot at any given time,”; Hirai said. “;Every month we have some sirens that fail. That's the wisdom of doing a monthly check.”;

Since the March 1 siren test, 18 Oahu sirens were repaired by state and city crews. Hirai said 36 malfunctions were reported in March, but checks found 13 of those were working. Of the five other silent sirens, two are awaiting replacement parts, and three had been dismantled because they were on damaged poles. “;Last month people called about missing the Pauoa Valley siren; it was down for six months,”; Hirai said.

There is a continuing schedule of repair, a joint effort by full-time technicians of the state Civil Defense Agency and city crews who are also are responsible for street light maintenance, he said. Beyond that, the older mechanical models are being replaced with solar-powered sirens in a $10.5 million statewide project.

“;We ask that they get the work done before the next siren test,”; Hirai said. “;They know there is a priority, that something could happen before the next test. The ones in tsunami evacuation zones are given highest priority.”;

Calls from people who did not hear a siren reflect changing times, he said. “;The system was designed back in the days when houses had screens and open louvers. Nowadays people have sealed windows and air conditioning.”;

Of the 364 sirens statewide, 237 are in tsunami evacuation zones. Some 176 are on Oahu. Information was not available yesterday on the results of last week's siren tests on the neighbor islands.