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It's Only A Test

VCU to test emergency sirens

It's Only A Test

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Dionne Waugh
Richmond.com
Tuesday, September 18, 2007

You know the jarring sound a jackhammer makes when it burrows into concrete?

Well, that's about how loud the new Virginia Commonwealth University emergency sirens will be. Students and downtown employees alike will get their first listen at noon Wednesday.

That's when the school will test the 130-decibel warning sirens on both the Monroe Park and MCV campuses. A warning "wail" will sound for one minute followed by a 30-second "all clear" even tone to end the test, according to a news release.

The sirens, along with other safety measures, were installed in light of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech.

"Providing a safe environment on our campuses to learn, study, teach, work and participate in university activities has been and remains a top priority," VCU President Eugene P. Trani said in the release.

"The April 16 tragedy at Virginia Tech led us to re-examine everything we do in this area and to look for ways to strengthen our already strong campus security practices."

The sirens are located on top of Cabell Library on the Monroe Park campus and on the roof of the School of Dentistry at 11th and Leigh streets.

So how loud is 130 decibels?

According to North American Security Products, LLC, a home vacuum cleaner is around 65 to 70 decibels. The average alarm clock is around 80 decibels. A chainsaw is around 100 decibels and a jackhammer is around 130 decibels. A gun or an air raid siren is somewhere around 140 decibels.

Sounds louder than 100 decibels and for extended periods of time are considered dangerous to a person's hearing.

To have an idea what the sirens will sound like, you can click here to hear it.

Additionally, VCU has set up several other layers to its emergency alert system such as sending out emails, text messages and desktop alerts to every active desktop on the schools' network; regularly updating www.vcu.edu/alert; and putting information up on digital screens in all major buildings and residence halls.

"There is no one method that will reach everyone in the university community," said John Bennett, who heads VCU's emergency response team.

"That is why we have developed a multi-level system that includes several ways to communicate during emergencies."

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