Emergency Levels of Notification
The University will inform the campus community using three different types of notifications – Emergency Warnings, Timely Warnings and Informational Messages.
Emergency Warnings
The University will issue an Emergency Warning after confirming that a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to health or safety is occurring on campus. Because these situations call for people to act immediately, safety officials will sound the emergency sirens, which are intended to be heard by people who are outdoors.
When the sirens sound, people should: Go inside or take cover immediately; close windows and doors; and stay until further notice. The sirens also broadcast short pre-recorded voice messages. When the threat is over, the sirens will sound again with a different tone to announce an all-clear message. (Click here for an audio sample of the emergency tone. Click here to hear "all clear" tone.)
Situations in which the sirens would sound include:
- An armed and dangerous person on or near campus;
- A major chemical spill or hazard;
- A tornado warning for Chapel Hill and Carrboro issued by the National Weather Service; or
- A different emergency, as determined by the Department of Public Safety.
When the sirens sound - including during a test - the University also sends a text message to the cell phone numbers registered by students, faculty and staff in the online campus directory. (To register, click the bar above "Register Your Cell Phone.")
In addition, the University communicates by updating alertcarolina.unc.edu and the UNC homepage, which triggers updates on official UNC Twitter and Facebook accounts, including those for the Office of New Student and Parent Programs and the Department of Public Safety.
Other means of communication are campus-wide email, the Adverse Weather and Emergency Phone Line (843-1234) for recorded information, the University Access Channel (Chapel Hill Time Warner Cable Channel 4) along with other campus cable television channels, and news releases for campus and local media.
Timely Warnings
The University will issue a Timely Warning to notify the campus community of any Clery Act crime as soon as the information is available so people can protect themselves and/or their property from similar crimes. This type of warning is intended to tell people to be cautious, not to take immediate action, so the sirens will not sound.
A Timely Warning will be issued only under the following conditions as determined by the Department of Public Safety:
- There is a continuing danger to the campus community and
- Issuing the timely warning will not compromise law enforcement efforts to address the crime.
Also, the University will issue a Timely Warning when the National Weather Service issues a tornado watch for Orange County.
Clery Act crimes include the following:
- Criminal homicide, including murder and non-negligent manslaughter, and negligent manslaughter;
- Sex offenses (forcible and non-forcible);
- Robbery;
- Aggravated assault;
- Burglary;
- Motor vehicle theft;
- Arson; and
- Hate crimes (including any of the above offenses, as well as any incidents of larceny/theft, simple assault, intimidation or destruction/damage/vandalism of property that were motivated by bias).
If the Department of Public Safety believes that issuing a timely warning would compromise efforts to address the crime, the notification may be delayed until the potentially compromising situation has been addressed.
The University communicates by sending a text message to the cell phone numbers registered by students, faculty and staff in the online campus directory. (To register, click the bar above "Register Your Cell Phone.")
In addition, the University communicates by updating alertcarolina.unc.edu and the UNC homepage, which triggers updates on official UNC Twitter and Facebook accounts, including those for the Office of New Student and Parent Programs and the Department of Public Safety.
Other means of communication are campus-wide email, the Adverse Weather and Emergency Phone Line (843-1234) for recorded information, the University Access Channel (Chapel Hill Time Warner Cable Channel 4) along with other campus cable television channels, and news releases for campus and local media.
Informational Messages
When a situation is not an emergency or pose an immediate threat to the campus community, but is of significant interest to campus, the University will issue an Informational Message.
The intent is to make the campus community aware by providing information about a situation. Examples include reports of a violent crime in which the perpetrator has been apprehended or is known to no longer be on campus or reports of an alleged assault (sexual or physical) made to the Department of Public Safety that do not warrant a timely warning and in which the assailant is not known by the victim. These notifications will also be sent in cases in which the alleged assault happened near campus and are being investigated by other law enforcement agencies. And other examples include notifications about a particular crime or crime pattern – such as an increase in the theft of laptop computers from a specific area – or when a law enforcement agency is appealing to the public for help in collecting information to help solve a crime.
In these situations, the University communicates by updating the Alert Carolina website and by sending a campus-wide email message to inform the University community.
Additional Information
Details about the Emergency Notification System and how people can expect to receive information are included in the University’s Emergency Notification Protocols. This document also includes information about communicating with parents and families through the Office of New Student and Parent Programs and by registering on the American Red Cross Safe and Well list.
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