White County Public Safety recently made sure that they would be better prepared to tackle county emergencies in the future.
The department completed the purchase and installation of new generators at several critical facilities throughout the county to strengthen the county’s ability to maintain essential operations during emergencies.
The project was made possible through funding awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).
Generators were installed at each White County Fire Station, at White County Animal Control’s animal shelter, and at the main communications tower site that supports the county’s public safety radio infrastructure.
Those sites play a crucial role in maintaining emergency services, and Director of White County Public Safety David Murphy wanted to make sure there would be as little interruption as possible to county services when needed most.
The new generators will give the county reliable backup power systems to ensure that operations can continue uninterrupted during severe weather events or power outages.
“Investing in these generators means White County is better prepared to respond to emergencies,” Murphy said. “They ensure our firefighters remain operational during outages, our animal shelter remains a safe haven for animals in our care, and our critical radio communications network remains online when it's needed most.”
The total cost of the project was $165,190.97. Of that amount, $148,671.87 was provided by FEMA, $6,607.64 came from the State of Georgia, and the remaining $9,911.46 was covered locally.
The county’s portion of the funding was made possible through Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) revenues. SPLOST is a voter-approved funding mechanism that allows counties to support vital infrastructure projects without relying solely on property taxes.
