The University of Tennessee Office of Emergency Management will conduct a test of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) capability of UT Alert on Thursday, July 14 at 8:30 a.m. to ensure the system is effective in warning the public about campus wide emergencies.
Periodic testing of public alert and warning systems helps to assess the operational readiness of alerting infrastructure and to identify any needed technological and administrative improvements.
People in the vicinity of campus who have WEA-compatible wireless phones where the subscriber has opted-in to receive test messages, that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower and whose wireless provider participates in WEA, should be capable of receiving the test message. Wireless phones should receive the message only once. No action is required.
The Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) is a tool for authorized government agencies to reach the public during times of emergency. It is important to the campus mass notification effort to warn the campus visitors who are not part of the UT Alert system of a dangerous situation.