On Thursday, Oct. 17, from approximately 9 p.m. to midnight, Fermilab and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office will conduct live-gunfire tests of Fermilab’s on-site gunfire detection system. These tests will be conducted safely, using bullet traps – no live rounds will be fired into the air or into the ground, and there will be no danger to the public or wildlife. However, the sound of gunfire may be heard in neighborhoods near Fermilab on Thursday evening.
The laboratory’s ShotSpotter system uses a network of sensors to detect the sound of gunfire and pinpoint its location, instantly alerting Fermilab security. The tests on Thursday will be used to calibrate the system as a proactive measure. By quickly notifying security with precise location information, this system helps speed up response and has the potential to save lives in an emergency situation.
The Fermilab site closes to the public at 8 p.m.
For questions, please call Fermilab at (630-840-3000) or email fermilab@fnal.gov.
Fermilab is America’s premier national laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research. A U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science laboratory, Fermilab is located near Chicago, Illinois, and operated under contract by the Fermi Research Alliance LLC, a joint partnership between the University of Chicago and the Universities Research Association Inc. Visit Fermilab’s website at www.fnal.gov and follow us on Twitter at @Fermilab.
DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.