University to test outdoor public address system on Wednesday, Oct. 23
Virginia Tech will conduct a test of its outdoor public address system in Blacksburg on Wednesday, Oct. 23, beginning at 10 a.m.
The test will take several hours to complete. Only the public address system will be tested; the outdoor sirens that are a component of this emergency notification tool, will not be used during this test and will not be heard.
The test is intended to allow university officials to improve the ability for people who are outdoors on campus and in some parts of the Town of Blacksburg to hear voice messages more clearly. During the test, intermittent test messages will be heard.
The outdoor public address and siren system, which was upgraded by the university earlier this year, is part of university’s VT Alerts system. In addition to this tool, Virginia Tech uses the Virginia Tech homepage, broadcast email to all vt.edu accounts, the @vtalerts Twitter account, electronic message boards in classrooms (in Blacksburg only), VT Phone Alerts, and VT Desktop Alerts to inform the university community of an urgent situation.
In the event of an actual emergency, individuals must be aware of their surroundings and take immediate responsibility for their personal safety and security. Initial VT Alerts messages will provide basic information on what to do; further instructions and updates will be provided by subsequent VT Alerts messages or first responders. In-depth information, when available, will be posted to the university homepage.
