AlertSU System Test – Wednesday, February 12, 2025

On Wednesday, February 12, at approximately 12:05 p.m., Stanford University will conduct a test of the campus AlertSU system. Alert messages will be sent via text message and email to the Stanford community. It will also post to the University emergency website, Public Safety website and the Stanford mobile app. 

The outdoor warning system will be activated. If you are outside, you should expect to hear an audible tone for approximately 30 seconds, followed by a verbal message from each of the 7 sirens at various campus locations. The sirens will be audible throughout the campus and may also be heard in parts of the surrounding communities, including Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Los Altos. 

Also, being tested are Cisco VoIP speaker phones. VoIP speaker phones are found in many of the academic and office buildings throughout campus. If you have a Cisco phone in your area, the AlertSU message will broadcast from the speaker phone and a banner message will appear in the display.

In the test message sent to your device, you will be asked to acknowledge the message. This is an important step that will help us monitor the success of this test. If you receive both a text and email, you only need to acknowledge one of the messages.

Separately, Stanford Health Care (SHC) will be conducting a test of their alert system at the same time, to coincide with the campus test. The SHC alert test will be limited to email and text message alerts only.

Prior to the test, it is important you verify that your contact information is correct in Axess (students) or StanfordYou (faculty and staff). 

Students: In Axess, make sure there is an entry in the mobile phone field as this is the most rapid and direct way to communicate with you during an emergency. 

Faculty and Staff: In StanfordYou, make sure there is an entry in the mobile phone field, as this is the most rapid and direct way of communication with you during an actual emergency. As a reminder: the University requires that employees maintain their directory entry and opt in to AlertSU with their work phone number, email address, and any university-issued or reimbursed cell phone number. Please click here for step by step instructions on how to enter your contact information in StanfordYou or visit https://police.stanford.edu/alert/alertsu-faq.html for more information. 

Additionally, in order to know you are receiving an official AlertSU message, please program the following information into your mobile phone contacts.

• Email Address: alertsudps@lists.stanford.edu
• Phone Number: 650-725-5555
• Text Message phone number: 89361

In a real emergency, the AlertSU message will contain specific instructions. Notify others near you to ensure they are aware of the situation and recommended safety precautions.

 Other sources of information about critical incidents include:

• Stanford’s emergency website: http://emergency.stanford.edu
• Department of Public Safety website: https://police.stanford.edu
• Social Media: Twitter/Instagram @Stanford 
• University emergency information hotlines: 650-725-5555 and 844-253-7878 (844-AlertSU)
• KZSU 90.1 FM

For more information about the AlertSU system, please visit the AlertSU FAQ page at: https://police.stanford.edu/alertsu-faq.html.  

Learn more about campus evacuation procedures and how to respond to emergencies at cardinalready.stanford.edu.

 Members of the public can register to receive AlertSU emergency alerts by downloading the Stanford mobile app and enabling the app notifications.