TO THE EDITOR:
Almost every day we hear about a new tragedy in some corner of the world. While we hope a life-threatening event would never occur on our campus, we must always be prepared. Whether it is a tornado warning issued for Chapel Hill, a large fire rapidly spreading or someone intentionally trying to harm our community, Carolina is prepared to communicate those risks quickly and direct students, faculty and staff to take immediate action.
Having an action plan in advance can help save lives during an actual emergency. That is one of the reasons the University regularly tests our six emergency sirens located across campus and in Chapel Hill.
On Thursday, Sept. 14, we are conducting our fall semester test between noon and 1 p.m. We want to make sure these sirens and all equipment are working properly, as well as ensure that our community knows what to do when there is a threat to campus safety. While no action is required for these sirens tests, we encourage all students, faculty and staff to read the Alert Carolina e-mail in your inbox detailing instructions for what to do in the event of a real emergency.
We will also use all available communication methods, including text messages and social media, to try and reach as many people as possible. You may see some of these messages during today’s sirens test. The most recent safety-related information and announcements can be found at alertcarolina.unc.edu.
We would like to thank the Daily Tar Heel for helping bring public attention to our Alert Carolina sirens test and our efforts to keep the University safe.
Jeff McCracken
Director and Chief of Police
