Western to conduct a test of its Western Alert system at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3

February 2, 2021

Western Washington University will conduct a test of the Western Alert system at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Western Alert is a group of ways to reach students, faculty and staff with important information for your safety. Multiple ways to provide information is considered a best practice. This test will include information and suggestions for the campus community to practice Lockdown procedures.

The following Western Alert elements will be used in this test:

 

  • 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 “Acknowledge” 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, emergency.wwu.edu and university homepage.
  • Posting a message on Western’s Twitter feed.


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.

Messages from the Western Alert emergency communications system come in three warning levels, plus weather advisories:

 

  • Western Alerts are sent when an imminent threat to the health and safety of campus exists. These alerts are always sent via both text and e-mail and may include other notification methodologies, depending on the severity of the incident. The texts will almost always point you to your WWU email for more information. These messages may incorporate follow-up information as it becomes available.
  • WWU Crime Notices at Western shall be distributed to students and employees for any of the 15 Clery Act crimes that pose a serious or continuing threat to the Western community.
  • WWU Campus Advisories are sent out for situations when there is not an imminent threat but a situation of concern.
  • Western Weather Advisories are sent to campus when inclement weather such as snow has occurred, and the campus community may need to adjust their schedules due to closures or delays, or when the university is operating on a normal schedule but more time may be needed to get to campus. Weather notification is also posted on the WWU home page, the WWU Inclement Weather page at http://em.wwu.edu/inclement.html, and by calling Western’s Storm Hotline at (360) 650-6500. See the Inclement Weather page for more information about policies and procedures regarding how the campus reacts when bad weather arrives.


To date, 97 percent of WWU students, 79 percent of staff and 73 percent of faculty members have provided their cell phone numbers to Web4U to receive emergency text messages.

For more information, visit Western’s Safety and Emergency Information webpage.

If you have any questions about the lockdown drill, you may reach Holly Woll-Salkeld with Western’s Emergency Management at 360-650-3625.

Students who have concerns or feel anxious after the drill may contact Western’s Counseling Center, 360-650-3164. Employees may contact the Employee Assistance Program at 877-313-4455.

If you would like a University Police Officer to speak with your department about violence prevention, please email university.police@wwu.edu or call 360-650-3555.