Duke tests outdoor warning system in July

Seven pole-mounted sirens can blast tones, messages

Monday, July 7, 2008

DURHAM, NC -- Duke University is installing an outdoor warning system that will broadcast messages to notify the campus in the event of imminent, life-threatening emergencies.

The system, part of the DukeALERT mass emergency notification protocol, features seven strategically placed, pole-mounted sirens with speakers that blast warning tones and recorded or live voice messages to instantly alert students, faculty, staff and visitors during emergencies such as a tornado sighting or an armed, dangerous person on campus.

“This is part of a multi-layered notification system designed to address one audience -– people outdoors –- so they can take immediate action,” said Aaron Graves, associate vice president for campus safety and security at Duke.

Since the shootings at Virginia Tech last year, Duke has adopted a formal crisis communications and management plan that includes a mass DukeALERT e-mail system and an emergency Web site with blog updates, RSS feeds and more. Also, a new text messaging service will be available to students, faculty and staff in the fall.

The sirens in the outdoor warning system have been installed at various locations to provide campuswide coverage: across from the Sarah P. Duke Gardens, on East, West and Central campuses, and near medical and research facilities. Tones and messages can travel up to one-half mile from each siren location.

“People in most buildings will not hear the outdoor sirens, but we can reach them in other ways,” Graves said. “Duke’s approach is to build redundancy into rapid notification and offer a multi-pronged approach using a combination of voice, Web, e-mail and text messaging to reach as many people as possible.”

Duke’s outdoor warning system will be tested intermittently in mid-July as part of the installation process. During this testing, people outdoors in nearby neighborhoods may hear the siren tones and recorded messages.