The university community will test its Safety Alert System and participate in the Great California Shakeout on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 10:15 a.m.

Students, staff and faculty will receive a brief test message on their cell, home and office phones, as well as an email. The test also will include the Alertus Desktop notification system, which sends safety messages to university-owned computers equipped with Alertus Software. The Safety Alert System is tested every quarter.

Also at 10:15 a.m., the campus will participate in the Great California Shakeout. During the annual earthquake drill, students, staff and faculty across campus should drop, cover and hold on for one minute, as well as assess their quake readiness.

During an emergency situation involving campus safety, the Safety Alert System simultaneously sends out messages to phones, email, text/SMS and TTY/TDD devices. To ensure the receipt of Safety Alerts, the campus community is advised to update personal contact information on BroncoDirect. Make sure to enter your cell phone number under the phone type “Mobile” in order to receive critical text messages in an emergency.

The university’s first responders are trained and prepared, but every member of the campus community needs to know what to do in an earthquake. Learn more by visiting the Campus Safety website and reviewing the Emergency Procedures.

Prepare a disaster kit that contains the essentials: gloves, goggles, dust masks, a radio and flashlight, water and basic tools. It is recommended to have a kit in your office, dorm room, car and/or home.

To learn more about the Great California Shakeout, check out these preparedness videos.