Fairhope, Alabama
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| Big Bertha siren. |
WW II ERA TECHNOLOGY
The city council authorized the mayor to seek a FEMA hazard mitigation grant to replace the city's antique weather siren located behind the city's Welcome Center with a new system, based upon modern technology.
The siren has been at its current location since at least the 1970s when it was used primarily to call volunteer firemen to fires, in an era before mobile phones or radios were commonplace. The Times remembers it still in use in the early 1990s but it went dormant later in the decade until resurrected as a weather siren only in 2016 (click).
Locals once referred to the device as "Big Bertha" or the "air raid siren," acording to local historians; earlier models were in service since the 1920s according to reports from the time.
FAILED LAST TEST
The siren failed its last monthy test, and has failed periodically before; it's even activated by spurious lightning strikes, according to grant coordinator Jessica Walker.
Walker: "It can go off any time ... no hazard ... so it may not be taken seriously anymore."
Cost of a new system expanding the existing speaker notification system in the downtown central business district would cost an estimated $43K; the city's share would be only $11K after the grant is awarded.
The project would involve adding 2-3 speakers on each downtown street according to IT Department manager Montgomery. Besides weather alerts, it could be used for other emergencies such as missing children/persons during Arts and Crafts and other events; rountinely music could be played.
The system could be expanded later to the pier area and recreation areas (parks, ball fields), he added.
Mayor Sullivan agreed "the current system is not very effective."
Sullivan: "The sound system doesn't cover all of downtown now ... been looking at expanding anyway."
She said another city had success getting a similar grant recently, and called it "a good opportunity to expand our current system and use it for emergency notifictions."
In response to a question from councilman Burrell, the mayor said the current cell-phone-based severe weather push-notifications (from the national weather service) would continue as well (using an application available from the city's website).
Montgomery observed that visitors to town may not have the app installed on their phones... and needed some other means of warning during their visit.
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