Emergency communication system to be tested Sept. 12

Washington University in St. Louis will test its emergency communication system at 12:05 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12. These tests ensure that the university can effectively communicate with the community in an emergency. The test will take place unless there is the potential for severe weather that day or some other emergency is occurring at that time.

During the test, WashUAlerts will send a text message to cellphones and voice calls to office phones. Texts and voice calls will appear from 314- 935-9000. Please respond as quickly as possible per the instructions, as that will help the university gauge the system’s effectiveness.

The drill will include testing of the yellow Alertus beacons, which are located in various large gathering spaces, common areas and classrooms. University computers with the proper software, indoor address systems, Voice over Fire Alarm systems, cable TV overrides (Danforth Campus only), the WUSTL app and the RSS feed to the emergency website also will be included.

Washington University will notify the community of the test via the emergency hotline (314-935-9000 locally or toll-free 888-234-2863) and emergency website.

In the event of an actual emergency, the emergency website and hotline will be updated regularly to provide information to the university community.

Students, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to enter or update their contact information via HRMS and WebSTAC/SIS. The university uses the information in HRMS and WebSTAC/SIS to contact individuals when necessary in an emergency.

Community members with more than one cellphone or pager number are encouraged to log in and include all numbers in their HRMS or WebSTAC/SIS profile.

If you wish to opt out of certain personal methods of communications, such as personal cellphone or home phone, visit the Emergency Management site. Note that some contact methods cannot be removed. Additional information about the WashUAlert system is also included on the site.

Visit emergency.wustl.edu and learn more about how to prepare for and respond to severe weather and other emergencies. Email Emergency Management at WashUready@wustl.edu with questions about the drill.

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