In December, the Macon-Bibb County Commission approved voter-approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds for Federal Signal Corporation to upgrade the entire tornado and severe weather siren system based on the Emergency Management Agency’s recommendation.

The 50-foot tall concrete poles for the new sirens will begin arriving Wednesday, April 22, from approximately 9:00-10:30 a.m., and will be stored next to Animal Welfare (4214 Fulton Mill Road). The media is invited to cover the delivery of the first round (and subsequent rounds) of poles.

The nearly $3 million upgrade is aimed at strengthening the county’s emergency alert capabilities and improving response during dangerous weather conditions. The current 56 sirens across the county will have the existing wooden poles replaced with concrete poles and get new equipment. Additionally, 27 sirens will be added to new locations, expanding the coverage of the county. Included in the project is five years of ongoing maintenance to keep the system working properly. During the upgrades, the current emergency siren system will remain operational.

“Public safety is one of our community’s top priorities, and this project will help make sure the sirens work when needed and expand the areas where they can be heard,” says Mayor Lester Miller. “While we make sure we have the newest equipment to help protect people, we want to encourage people to get their own weather radio and download emergency notification apps on their phone.”

"Staying aware before, during, and after potential disasters is important part of an emergency plan,” said EMA Director Spencer Hawkins. “By upgrading and enhancing our outdoor warning system, this will sustain another layer of notification, along with our MBCAlert system and weather radios, for everyone who lives, works, and plays in Macon Bibb County.”

The new poles will be delivered weekly for five weeks beginning April 22, and the siren equipment will be delivered weekly for four weeks beginning May 8. Installation of the first pole is tentatively scheduled for mid-May.

The new emergency sirens are part of a spectrum of notifications used by the EMA to let people know of severe weather; it also includes weather radios, a phone/text/email notification system, a mobile app, social media, and the local media.

The EMA encourages everyone to get an emergency weather radio and sign up for weather alerts that are sent straight to your phone. People can sign up for MBCAlert by going to www.maconbibb.us/mbcalert or getting the free mobile app, and people are encouraged to follow the Agency on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In the past several years, more than 4,000 weather radios have been distributed to Macon-Bibb County residents by the EMA, and the next distribution event is currently being planned for August.

Hawkins also wants to stress to people that follow local media and weather forecasters on their social media channels to make sure they get as much information as possible about emergencies and severe weather.