The city of Ball Ground, in partnership with Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, has become the second location in Georgia to implement a U.S. National Grid (USNG) based Emergency Location Marker (ELM) System. Cobb County was the first to implement the system in late 2018.
The objective of this initiative is to provide trail markers at intervals of a quarter mile and other key points along Roberts Lake Trail in northeast Ball Ground. These markers are key for first responders, who use USNG coordinates. During a 911 emergency call, USNG coordinates quickly direct emergency personnel to a physical location on the trail where a street address does not exist. Cherokee County Fire personnel recently mapped the trail and collected the coordinates for the markers. The city of Ball Ground has ordered the markers, which are scheduled for installation later this month.