Smyrna, Georgia's old sirens

[Brendan W]

Smyrna, Georgia (Cobb County) had a system of STH-10s, some super early Whelens, and two Thunderbolts, but this may be no more soon. Last night, I learned that two sirens, a Thunderbolt and an STH-10 have been removed. The STH-10 in question was the one at Concord Road and South Cobb Drive, and the Thunderbolt in question was at Fire Station No. 4. Before this, only one siren, an STH-10 on Cooper Lake Road, was the only one removed. I personally find it interesting that Smyrna has now started removing the sirens (only took them 9 years) as opposed to long ago. Just reporting this.

[4J25]

I'm glad I got to see some of the old ones when i went down during the summer.

On a side note, it would be interesting to try and obtain one of those WS-1000's...

[murrfarms]

I thought I didn't see that Thunderbolt at the FD the last time I was up that way, good to know I wasn't hallucinating. I wonder what they did with the ones they already took down, as well as the ones still up. Last I knew the fire chief was talking about auctioning them off or something of that nature but I have yet to see anything come up on any of the regularly used government auction sites. Would be nice to actually have a chance at getting a hold of any of those sirens, unlike the stupid county that doesn't seem interested in even giving you the time of day when asking about any sirens they removed. On that note, all of the last remaining old ones in the county system except for Siren #19 (the 1000T on Powers Ferry Road) have now been replaced with Vortex R4s as of a couple of months ago, and #19 is supposedly scheduled to come down before the end of the year.

[Scoth]

I'm hoping to get a video of #19 again next month, from directly in front of the horn this time. I need to take a scouting trip down there since I live so close and see what it takes to get up there. I'd hate to think my crappy cell phone video I took when my main camera's batteries died that I haven't uploaded because it's crappy would be the last video of it running.

I wonder if they are going to auction off the old ones. I wonder how my wife would feel about such a thing...

[murrfarms]

I'm hoping to get a video of #19 again next month, from directly in front of the horn this time. I need to take a scouting trip down there since I live so close and see what it takes to get up there. I'd hate to think my crappy cell phone video I took when my main camera's batteries died that I haven't uploaded because it's crappy would be the last video of it running.

I wonder if they are going to auction off the old ones. I wonder how my wife would feel about such a thing...

The best place I found to get right in front of it was back in that parking lot down below the Fifth Third Bank and the sign shop where the siren is. The entrance to the lot is between the bank and that multistory building beside it, and usually there doesn't seem to be anyone parked back there any times I've been by the area (there wasn't when I recorded it either). You may have to look around and see if you can find a spot back there to be able to clearly see the siren, though I got lucky at the time I went because the trees were still bare with no foliage to block the shot. The only other option I can think of is to just be in the parking lot of the sign shop with it, though that was a bit too close and made for an awkward viewing angle when I tried that idea, which is what led me to go to down into that other lot and record from there.

As far as what they do with the old sirens they take down, I have yet to see any ever go up for auction. They usually either just scrap them or I've heard of them giving/selling them to some junkyard that wanted them for whatever reason; I don't think it was for scrap, at least not at first anyway. Really irritates me because not only had I originally hoped to be able to get one of them back when they took a bunch down five or six years ago, but I know that Jeb was also hoping to get at least a few of them to overhaul and re-install in Upson County, where we've put up the other Thunderbolts in the past few years. I've tried and tried to talk them into at least auctioning them off but I've had no such luck.

For reference of what it's like recording from that lot behind the siren, here's my video of #19 from back in March of 2011:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVmK4_FLhjY