On Monday, Duke Officials announced they will install seven outdoor alarm posts throughout its campus.

According to a presentation given by Durham County's Board of Commissioners, the system will "allow Duke University officials and Duke Police to alert and direct individuals who are outdoors in the event of a life-threatening emergency."

"This is a part of our emergency notification system, which includes emails and other means of communication as well," said Aaron Graves, Duke's vice president of campus safety.

In addition to a test tone, the outdoor public address system will be able to give audible alerts. The system would announce, "Attention! Armed and dangerous person alert. Seek a secure location," if an armed and dangerous person was on campus. For a tornado, it would announce, "Attention! Tornado Warning, move to shelter immediately."

Graves says after the shootings at Virginia Tech, colleges and universities throughout the United States had to assess their plans to handle an emergency.

"It's a wake up call that if you have not made plans, not considered these things, then you need to do so," Graves said. "As a result, institutions across the nation including Duke University are looking at that need and trying to fill, or find a way to fill that need."

During the presentation, commissioners said that all seven poles would be able to broadcast a customized message up to half-a-mile away. The poles are made by the Federal Signs Corporation of Illinois, which has provided systems for 25 colleges and universities including UNC-Chapel Hill

The poles will stand 40 feet tall. Duke officials say they will install them on Duke's West, Central and East campuses, as well as near the Sarah P. Duke Gardens and medical campus.

"They're strategically located to provide optimum coverage of the campus," Graves said.

Duke expects to have the concrete poured for the poles over the next several weeks. The system is planned to be operational by the end of July.