Thousands of phones rang and Chance Corbett smiled.
The first full service test of the new emergency notification system at Auburn University was a success.
About 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Corbett and other members of the risk management and safety office gathered around a computer to run the first test. The system, AU Alert, had been programmed to send test messages to thousands of students, faculty and staff at the same time.
Within minutes — as officials planned — the computer showed it was calling 10,000 land-lines and cell phone numbers, then 13,000 numbers. The system also sent the message to 31,147 e-mail addresses and thousands of cell phones via text messaging.
“When everything in the room starts vibrating and ringing, we’re happy,” said Corbett, the office’s new associate director of emergency management.
The message said this particular alert was just a test. But Executive Director Christine Eick said the test had to be run to ensure the new system is ready for a real emergency. AU Alert is only intended for emergency situations that require “immediate action,” she said.
“We send the message, and you do something,” Eick said.
AU Alert was not utilized Jan. 23 when the Harrison School of Pharmacy was under extra safety measures because it didn’t require any action, she said. Pharmacy students went about their day as usual. The only difference was the number of police at the Walker Building.
Corbett said part of Thursday’s test was to determine how quickly the message was received by contacts. Ideally, everyone should be reached within a few minutes, he said. The system showed who opened their e-mail, answered their phone or read the text. It re-dialed the people who it didn’t get.
“We want a quick response,” Eick said.
The risk management and safety office has been trying every trick in the book since AU Alert went on-line last November to get as many members of the campus community to sign up for the free service. Thanks to a recent advertising push and the impending test, more than 2,000 new contacts were added in the last two weeks.
“We feel like we’ve reached thousands,” Corbett said.
But there are thousands more to go. For everybody to be notified of severe weather or a bomb threat, Eick said everyone has to register.
All information provided to AU Alert is kept secured and confidential and will not be used for any other purposes than what it is intended.
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