L ast Thursday, a layer of smoke hung in the air, prompting many to express fears that there was a fire either on or somewhere near UNC. While the culprit turned out to be a controlled burn in the woods near Jordan Lake , it would have been extremely helpful for the Department of Public Safety to send out an Alert Carolina to let the campus know the cause.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources commission conducted a controlled burn of 218 acres around Jordan Lake to improve the wildlife habitat and to prevent future wildfires . While this is a common practice, when campus is filled with smoke without notice, it can prompt fears of an immediate threat.
Unfortunately, at the same time the smoke was coming onto UNC’s campus, fire alarms were going off in multiple buildings, which only exacerbated concerns that something serious was occurring. While DPS stated that this was an unfortunate coincidence, it should illustrate the need to communicate with the UNC community .
In this case, DPS should have utilized Alert Carolina to let the UNC community know that everything was fine instead of just sending out a tweet . Granted, Alert Carolina cannot be used for every misunderstanding on campus or its purpose would be defeated. However, Alert Carolina was designed to communicate about situations that affect the safety and health of the UNC community .
The smoke from the fire not only caused many to fear something serious had happened, but it could have had health ramifications for those suffering from asthma or who are sensitive to smoke. Had DPS sent out an Alert Carolina to let people know the reason smoke could be seen in the area, it would have alleviated most concerns, and it would have enabled those with health problems to take precautions.
