By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Atmore City Council members learned near the end of their July 22 meeting that after tests were conducted and necessary modifications made, the city’s first outdoor emergency warning system is now fully operational.
Jerry Gehman of G&H Systems, the company that installed the Federal Signal system, told city governors that the warning siren is now linked to the National Weather Service (NWS), which will automatically trigger the alarm when conditions are right for a tornado or other weather emergency.
“We are now connected to the National Weather Service,” said Gehman. “(Police Chief) Chuck Brooks, the city’s safety officer, assisted in making a polygon of where the NWS will automatically sound the siren if a storm is detected. We have used it twice already, manually, in a weather emergency; now it is electronically controlled by NWS.”
The polygon stretches from Robinsonville, southward to Fla. Highway 4, west to Nokomis, north to Huxford, then back to Robinsonville. Any storm detected within that polygon will automatically trigger the weather warning siren, which will be easily distinguishable from the siren that wails when a non-weather emergency occurs.
“The siren has two sounds — the same tone, but a different pattern,” Gehman said. “Either the NWS or Chuck can tell it what sound to make. If it’s a tornado or weather-related emergency, it will rotate 360 degrees, and the wail will go up and down in tone for three minutes. If it’s a train derailment or other non-weather emergency, it rotates 360 degrees for three minutes but stays on the same tone.”
He added that the community’s first-ever official warning system for both natural and other emergencies, which is located on East Ridgeley Street, next to Atmore’s SAIL Center, allows city safety personnel to alert the public if such a derailment occurs, or if a tanker truck with chemicals overturns, an industrial fire occurs, or a similar emergency erupts.
“We now have a way of communicating non-weather-related disasters,” he said. “It’s now in effect, and it works. I want to thank the city council for investing in quality of life, enhancing safety factors. It’s another of those wonderful tidbits that will make our community safer.”