The University of Central Florida is planning to test its emergency communication tools in preparation for potential emergency situations.
Several of those UCF Alert tools will be tested on Tuesday, April 8.
Emergency functions connected with the university’s main website, www.ucf.edu, will be tested from 1 to 2 p.m. For most of that time, the UCF home page will remain active and fully functional with an alert bar at the top of the page. All messages on the alert bar will be marked as tests.
A portion of the website test will involve replacing the regular home page with an entirely text-only home page that may be used during some emergencies. To accommodate large numbers of visitors, the text-only website does not include links and search functions that are typically found on the UCF home page.
Outdoor sirens, which emit a tone followed by voice instructions, will be tested at noon.
A test emergency text message and e-mail will be sent at about 1 p.m. Messages should be received by all students and staff and faculty members who have updated cell phone information on file through MyUCF and who have not opted out of receiving emergency messages.
More than 40 UCF buildings are equipped with indoor notification systems that emit tones followed by voice instructions during emergencies. Those systems will be tested briefly between 3 and 3:30 p.m. The tests in each building will last no more than a couple of minutes.
UCF’s Twitter and Facebook pages, which serve as additional methods of notification, will be updated with information about the tests. Visit the UCF Alert Web site for more information on the communication system that helps to keep the campus safe and informed during emergencies.
