UNC News Release
For immediate use: Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008
University to test sirens, text messages as part of Alert Carolina
CHAPEL HILL - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will test emergency sirens and text messages on Tuesday, Sept. 16, as part of Alert Carolina, a safety awareness campaign. The test is scheduled between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.
Although the University would use a variety of methods to share information in a real emergency, this test will focus on the emergency siren capabilities and, for the first time, text messages. The sirens will only sound during a life-threatening emergency or a test, followed by a text message. Scenarios for siren 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 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. A fifth siren was added over the summer on north campus near Hill Hall and the Hanes Art Center.
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, University officials plan to sound the sirens and "all clear" signals twice. Details about the sirens and sample audio clips are posted at www.alertcarolina.unc.edu.
If the sirens sound for a real emergency - or if other conditions warrant - the University 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 online campus directory. To date, University students, faculty and staff have registered more than 15,000 cell phone numbers. That total includes more than 9,600 student numbers. This week, Information Technology Services will automatically prompt online directory users who are renewing passwords or checking expiration dates about providing a cell phone number for emergency messages. Passwords expire every 90 days.
UNC also communicates about an emergency through options including campus broadcast voice mail, campus e-mail, the Adverse Weather and Emergency Phone Line, 843-1234, for recorded information, and through campus television including the University Access Channel (Chapel Hill Time Warner Cable Channel 4).
The siren system, installed in late 2007, was last tested March 26. The University plans to continue regular testing in the future.
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Note to Triangle, campus media: During a real siren activation, the University will distribute a news release notifying media outlets to aid immediate reporting about a life-threatening emergency. The University plans to issue news releases Sept. 16 as part of the siren test.
Contact: Mike McFarland, 919-962-8593, mike_mcfarland@unc.edu
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