INFORMATIONAL MESSAGE FROM ALERT CAROLINA: Message from Chief Jeff McCracken: Emergency Drill near Municipal Drive, Carolina North Forest on Monday, August 10
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
As part of the University’s commitment to continuously enhance safety on campus, I am writing to let you know about an emergency preparedness drill that will be conducted near Municipal Drive and the main Carolina North Forest entrance on Monday, August. 10.
These annual emergency planning drills are vital to our every-day efforts to prepare for a variety of potential scenarios. This exercise in a controlled learning environment will provide invaluable feedback about our current response plans and inform our ongoing collaborative work with local law enforcement agencies and first responders.
The drill site is on UNC property about two miles north of main campus off the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Municipal Drive. The exercise will be confined to buildings and grounds near the Carolina North Land Management and Trail Information Office, which will be closed that day. Municipal Drive will remain open, and Carolina North Forest users will have access to the main parking lot and gravel road leading to the trail area. Police officers will be stationed around the perimeter of a clearly marked drill area. Traffic pattern and flow informational signage will be used to delineate the boundaries of the drill area. We expect activity at the drill site between about 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Emergency vehicles and personnel will be visible in and around the Carolina North office and nearby buildings. Uniformed officers and other first responders will use training equipment during a simulated response as if there were an actual campus emergency. People near the drill site may see actors or hear loud noises including mock gun fire.
We selected this date because it falls between the end of summer classes and the back-to-school period of increased activity on campus and in the community. To further minimize disruptions and confusion, we will not activate normal campus emergency communications, including sounding the sirens and sending text messages and emails.
After the fall semester begins, we will ask you to familiarize yourself with actions you would need to take in an actual emergency. On August 26, we will conduct the annual fall semester siren test, which will include sending text messages and emails to the campus community. This is an important opportunity for students, faculty and staff – especially those new to campus – to review emergency procedures. You can find a wealth of information, including safety tips and safety-related resources available on campus, at Alert Carolina (https://alertcarolina.unc.edu//) and Safe@UNC (http://safe.unc.edu/).
Nothing is more important to our University than the safety of our students, faculty and staff. Your Department of Public Safety, a fully accredited law enforcement agency, and our campus and local community partners are committed to regular training activities to ensure that our staffs are as prepared as possible to protect you.
Sincerely,
Chief Jeff McCracken
Director of Public Safety