Campus Alert System Test Planned for Wednesday

Georgetown University will run a two-minute test of the Campus Alert System on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at approximately 12:55 p.m. Neighbors in hearing distance of the campus should not be alarmed by the series of 30-45 second sound blasts.

During the September 2011 test, several neighbors took to Twitter to ask about the unsettling alarm that could be heard throughout the East and West Village and to the north in Glover Park.

According to information on the GU website, students, faculty and employees do not need to take any action when the alert sounds.

The Campus Alert System, which sounds like a train’s steam whistle, is used in an emergency to warn those outside hearing distance to seek shelter inside immediately. In an actual emergency, the Campus Alert System will sound for 15 minutes. 

The University tests the system at the start of each semester to familiarize all members of the community with the alert system. 

At approximately the same time the HOYAlert, Georgetown’s emergency notification system, will be tested. University communit members enrolled in HOYAlert should receive a test message via text message, non-GU email, and non-GU voicemail. This system is also tested at the beginning of each semester.