The Division of Public Safety tested its new PennAlert emergency-notification system Thursday, with 95.3 percent of the targeted individuals receiving a notification either by phone, e-mail or text-message.
DPS simulated a hazardous materials accident in the Caster Building, located at 3701 Locust Walk, and the new system successfully alerted 429 of the 450 individuals slated to receive a notification. Individuals who either worked or had a class in the building were notified.
Busy signals or poor reception caused the few notification failures.
PennAlert is a new system DPS developed in response to the Virginia Tech shootings that allows the entire community to receive a notification in the event of a campus emergency.
Maureen Rush, vice president for Public Safety, said the system is currently up and running and ready to be used in case of an emergency that affects the whole campus.
DPS is still working to create the user groups necessary to send out more individualized alerts. When that is complete, the system will be used for less severe emergencies, notifying only the people within a particular building.
Rush also said that further tests will be conducted in the future, though there are no specific dates set.
Also participating in the drill were the Philadelphia Fire and Police Departments, the student-run Medical Emergency Response Team and performing-arts group Mask and Wig, providing simulated victims.
