CHAPEL HILL - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will test its new emergency sirens Wednesday, March 26, with the launch of Alert Carolina, a safety awareness campaign. The test will occur between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Although the University would use a variety of ways to share information in a real emergency, this test will focus on the emergency siren capabilities. The sirens will only sound during a life-threatening emergency or a test. Scenarios for activation are:
- armed and dangerous person on or near campus,
- a major chemical spill or hazard, or
- a tornado sighting.
The Alert Carolina campaign aims to educate students, faculty and staff to be prepared to go inside, close windows or doors, or to take cover immediately if the sirens sounded in a real emergency. The sirens also will broadcast brief public address announcements with similar instructions.
People outside on or near campus may hear the sirens, located at Hinton James Residence Hall off Manning Drive; the Gary R. Tomkins Chilled Water Operations Center behind the Dogwood Parking Deck; Winston Residence Hall at the corner of Raleigh Street and South Road; and next to University buildings and support facilities near the Giles Horney Building off Martin Luther King Boulevard.
In a real emergency, the sirens will sound a second time with a different tone when authorities determine the situation is "all clear" and that you can resume normal activities. During next week's test, UNC police plan to use the "all clear" signal.
Details about the sirens and their technical specifications are posted at alertcarolina.unc.edu
During an emergency, UNC will also send a text message alert to students, faculty and staff who have registered the numbers of cell phones with text message capability in the campus directory. UNC plans to test the text message system at a later time. UNC also communicates with the campus community about an emergency through means including campus broadcast voice mail, campus e-mail, the Adverse Weather and Emergency Phone Line, 843-1234, for recorded information, and the University Access Channel (Chapel Hill Time Warner Cable Channel 4).
The siren test was originally scheduled for March 19 but was moved back in conjunction with the celebration of the life of Eve Carson on campus earlier this week.
Contact: Mike McFarland, 919-962-8593, mike_mcfarland@unc.edu
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