University to test VT Alerts on Blacksburg campus, six regional locations, on Wednesday, March 20
BLACKSBURG, Va., March 4, 2013 – Virginia Tech will conduct a full-scale test of its VT Alerts system on Wednesday, March 20, on the Blacksburg campus and university facilities located in six regions across Virginia.
The test will occur between 8 a.m. and noon.
- Learn more about campus safety, emergency preparedness and response, emergency notification, and what is meant by “secure-in-place” and “shelter-in-place” by reading the 2012 annual notice on campus safety, emergency notification reports online.
The regional notification groups cover the following university locations:
- Blacksburg (Virginia Tech main campus, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine);
- National Capital Region (Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church, Va.; Marion Dupont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Va.; Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center; Alexandria Center; Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory in Manassas, Va.; Advanced Research Institute in Arlington, Va.; Virginia Tech Research Center--Arlington);
- Richmond (Virginia Tech Richmond Center);
- Hampton Roads (Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Center; Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Center, Newport News);
- Roanoke (Roanoke Higher Education Center, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute);
- Abingdon (Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center); and
- Danville (Institute for Advanced Learning and Research).
In the event of an actual emergency, individuals must be aware of their surroundings and take immediate responsibility for their personal safety and security. Initial VT Alerts messages will provide basic information on what to do; further instructions and updates will be provided by subsequent VT Alerts messages or first responders. In-depth information, when available, will be posted to the university homepage.
The university will use multiple information delivery methods to reach students, faculty, and staff because, at any given time, one form of communication might be better than another.
VT Alerts will be utilized for the Blacksburg campus only in those instances when severe weather impacts class schedules and the opening or closing of the university.
The university will test the following VT Alerts channels on March 20:
- The Virginia Tech homepage;
- Broadcast email to all vt.edu accounts;
- @vtalerts Twitter account;
- Electronic message boards in classrooms (Blacksburg only);
- Outdoor sirens (Blacksburg only);
- VT Phone Alerts;
- VT Desktop Alerts (Blacksburg only).
Outdoor sirens
Virginia Tech maintains six outdoor sirens that can be heard across campus as well as parts of the Town of Blacksburg adjacent to campus.
VT Desktop Alerts
VT Desktop Alerts sends a notice to your desktop or laptop computer, wherever you are as long as you are connected to the Internet. Users do not need to be on the campus to download the application or to receive the alert. However, to activate this service, the VT Desktop Alerts application must be downloaded to your computer.
VT Phone Alerts
VT Phone Alerts subscribers may receive text messages, phone calls to designated numbers, and/or email messages to non university e-mail accounts. VT Phone Alerts users will be able to identify the test message in the following way:
- The subject line for the test message will be “TEST: VT Alerts.”
- The phone and voice mail messages will begin with “This is a test of the VT Alerts System.”
In an actual emergency, the message will appear as follows:
- SMS (text) messages are from 89361 and start with “S: VT Alerts” (followed by the test message).
- Phone messages are from (540) 232-1000 and begin with “The following is an emergency message from Virginia Tech.” followed by a text-to-speech rendering of the message).
- Email messages are from VT Alerts (alerts-ins@cns.vt.edu).
At the end of the message, you will be prompted to confirm receipt. For the purposes of this test, it is important for you to provide the requested confirmation, as that will be the only way the university will know if you received the message. Those who receive alerts via email will be provided a link to confirm receipt. When you click on the link, you’ll be taken to a page hosted by Everbridge, the vendor who provides the VT Phone Alerts system.
Because VT Phone Alerts is intended to communicate urgent information to students, faculty, and staff on campus during an emergency, it is important that each subscriber carefully consider his points of contact. If a user includes parents, spouses, or others among your points of contact, it is suggested that you list yourself as the first point of contact. To review your account, visit the VT Alerts website and click on the “Manage Your Account” link.
If you registered anyone other than yourself to receive these alert notifications via phone, text message, or e-mail, please inform him of the upcoming test.
Individuals who do not have a Virginia Tech PID, but have a valid need to receive VT Phone Alerts emergency notification messages because of their relationship or proximity to the Blacksburg campus, may request a subscription through the Office of Emergency Management. Learn more about this process on the VT Alerts website.
If you do not receive a VT Phone Alerts message during the test, and you are subscribed to this service, please visit the VT Alerts website and click on the “Manage Your Account” link to verify that your record is correct. If the information is correct, but you did not receive the message, you’re urged to contact 4Help at (540) 231-HELP (4357).
- Mark Owczarski
- Assistant Vice President for News and Information
- 540-231-5223
- maowczar@vt.edu
Emergency Information Desk Reference
Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to print this valuable resource that can help individuals prepare how best to respond in an emergency. Download the document.
Connect with Campus Safety
Virginia Tech Police
Office of Emergency Management
