INC NEWS - Advisory: Duke's new outdoor warning system to be tested Wed & Thurs

[John Schelp]

John, 

We'll be bringing the outdoor warning system online this week. As part of that, the sirens will be tested from approximately 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday. 

During the testing, the sirens will sound intermittently, and people outdoors on campus and in nearby neighborhoods will hear loud tones, as well as live and recorded messages.  One of the siren poles is on East Campus - off West Markham Avenue in an area near the tennis courts and Pegram-Carr parking lot. 

A helpful resource for information about Duke's emergency status is our new Web site, www.emergency.duke.edu. Please note: this site will be updated to include more information, including FAQs and a map of the outdoor warning system, by the start of this academic year. The Web site is one way community members close to campus can get more information in the event the outdoor warning system is activated in a real emergency. 

Any assistance is appreciated in helping us spread the word to community members. Below is the advisory that is going out to media. Thank you. 

Leanora 
_____________________________
Leanora Minai,
Senior Communications Strategist
Editor, Working at Duke
Office of Communication Services
Duke University
705 Broad St.
919.681.4533 (office)

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Subject ADVISORY: DUKE’S NEW OUTDOOR WARNING SYSTEM TO BE TESTED THIS WEEK 

Greetings from Keith Lawrence at Duke. Last week, we notified you that Duke was installing a new outdoor warning system and would be testing it soon as part of the process of bringing the system online. We're following up to let you know that the testing will occur this week: from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday. 

We would appreciate it if you could alert your readers/viewers/listeners to make them aware of the testing and to ask them not to call 9-1-1. 

During the testing, sirens will sound intermittently, and people outdoors on campus and in nearby neighborhoods will hear loud tones, as well as live and recorded messages. 

This series of testing is not open to the media; however, you will have an opportunity to hear the sirens during a system test in the near future. 

The sirens, part of the DukeALERT mass emergency notification protocol, 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. Previous stories about the siren system are available at http://news.duke.edu/2008/06/sirens1.html and http://news.duke.edu/2008/07/sirens.html. 

Thank you for any assistance you can provide in alerting the public ahead of time about the testing. If you have additional questions, please contact Duke’s Leanora Minai at (919) 681-4533. 

Best wishes, 

Keith Lawrence
Director of Media Relations
Duke Office of News & Communications
(919) 681-8059 (phone)