In November, 2015 the voters of Spalding County approved a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), two of the items designated as projects for the proceeds from the SPLOST were the purchase of Weather Warning Sirens for the Cities of Sunny Side and Orchard Hill. In February of 2016, Spalding County was awarded a grant from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency as part of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to purchase and install two outdoor Weather Warning Sirens.

Spalding County is proud to announce the purchase and installation of four (4) Weather Warning Sirens is now complete. These sirens have been placed at 1301 Cowan Road at Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park, 4245 Old Atlanta Road at the Woodruff Fire Station, 4924 Old Atlanta Road at Sunny Side City Hall and 2972 Old Highway 41 at Orchard Hill City Hall. The locations were chosen by representatives of the City of Sunny Side and the City of Orchard Hill and due to their proximity to the historical path of these types of storms. The installation of sirens in this path, supplements our current Emergency Alert System.

Spalding County is certified with a ‘Storm Ready’ designation by the National Weather Service. To obtain the “Storm Ready” designation a County’s warning point must operate under the following criteria:

• Operate 24 hours a day
• Have warning reception capability
• Offer warning dissemination capability
• Have the ability and authority to activate local warning system(s)

These sirens are currently operational and are integrated into the County’s 800MHz radio system. They are designed to be automatically activated by a National Weather Service Tornado Warning, affecting Spalding County. The sirens have an audible range of approximately one mile in all directions.

All of the weather warning sirens in Spalding County are automatically tested by National Weather Service activation between 11:30 a.m. and noon every Wednesday unless there is the possibility of inclement weather. The first test of the newly installed weather warning sirens will be on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, between 11:30 a.m. and noon.

The Spalding County Office of Homeland Security will be providing ongoing education for the community and public safety personnel on expectations of the system and procedures for citizens receiving these alerts.

For additional questions, please contact the Spalding County Communications System Manager at 770-467-4253 and / or the Spalding County Office of Homeland Security at 770-228-2129 during normal business hours.