Annual AlertSU System Test – Thursday, October 27, 2022

October 18, 2022 4:09 pm
Categories: Archived

On Thursday, October 27, at approximately 12:05 p.m., Stanford University will conduct its annual test of the campus AlertSU system. The notification 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. Press the exit option to cancel the announcement.
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.

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 StanfordWho, 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 review 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 the event of an actual emergency, you would be asked to follow the specific instructions in the alert message. Other avenues that might be used to inform the community about critical incidents include:

Upon receipt of an AlertSU message, notify others in your immediate vicinity to ensure they are also aware of the situation and the recommended safety precautions.

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

Evacuation procedures and how to respond to other emergencies can be found on the following resource pages.

Thank you for your participation!