草榴社区 to Test Western Alert Notification System April 19
Western Washington University plans to test its emergency notification system known as Western Alert at 2:50 p.m. on Thursday, April 19.
Western Alert is a group of ways to reach students, faculty and staff with important safety information. The following Western Alert elements will be tested on April 19:
- Desktop notification on installed computers throughout campus, including offices, classrooms and computer labs where a test message will be broadcast. Users need to only click on the green 鈥淎cknowledge鈥 button to make the test message disappear.
- Test voice messages over the campus fire alarm system (building enunciation).
- Sending text messages to everyone who has registered in Web4U at MyWestern.
- Test emails to students, faculty and staff.
- Posting a Western Alert message on the emergency communication webpage, and university homepage.
- Posting a message on Western鈥檚 Facebook page and Twitter feed.
In conjunction with the Western Alert test drill, Western will be conducting an earthquake drill. The campus community is encouraged to practice how to at this time if you are able, or at some later time on April 19.
On April 19, a test voice message (building enunciation) will be repeated several times in buildings as well as some outside speakers at: the university tennis courts, the south campus oval at the Communications Facility, and at the Old Main lawn. Amber fire alarm strobes also will flash in the main corridors of academic buildings and bathrooms.
A critical element of Western Alert, a text message is one of the most reliable ways to quickly provide emergency information. Even if users do not regularly text on their cell phones, most phones are capable of receiving text information. Western students, faculty and staff who have not yet registered to receive Western Alerts via text message are asked to update their personal information via the Web4U application. Employees may also call the Human Resources Department at 650-3774 for assistance in signing up.
To date, 97 percent of 草榴社区 students, 75 percent of staff and 71 percent of faculty members have provided their cell phone numbers to Web4U to receive emergency text messages.
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