By Kara Stamets, Content Marketing Specialist at Alertus Technologies

From active shooter threats to health emergencies, it is critical for K-12 and higher education institutions to have a mass notification system (MNS) that is reliable, effective, and operating as intended. Testing your system will provide peace of mind knowing that you can deploy alerts accurately and swiftly if and when needed. 

Below, we discuss steps for MNS testing to ensure that your facility is prepared and ready to respond quickly to any incident. 

When to Test

The more you practice, the better your organization will be equipped to handle an emergency. We suggest regular testing on a monthly or quarterly basis; that way, the system is as up-to-date as possible, and errors can be corrected early on.

Ideally, conduct alert tests while campuses or school buildings are relatively empty, during summer and winter breaks, or on weekends or after hours. However, regularly testing while school is in session will expose students and staff to the siren tones and what they can expect during an actual threat, so choose a schedule that works best for your institution. 

Test Your System Under Various Conditions 

To ensure that messages are delivered under all circumstances, your MNS should be tested under various conditions. Every message channel should be assessed to ensure that information is delivered through all means of communication, from desktop screen takeovers and digital signage overrides to mobile phones, PA systems, and IP speakers. Some wings, buildings, and campuses may have weaker signals, so conducting tests in specific areas on campus is very important to observe if notification delivery issues arise.

Prepare to Test

Educating your staff and recipients on appropriate crisis procedures is imperative so they will know how to activate the system and respond appropriately during and after emergencies. 

Develop an emergency system testing plan and communicate your staff's roles and responsibilities. Then, share scheduled tests with your organization and the general public. Testing alert messages can be announced over PA systems, sirens, email, or SMS/push notifications. To minimize upkeep, front load the test setup with pre-scripted emergency templates through MNS platforms such as the Alertus Console.

Testing Your System

While testing your system, announce clearly to your community members that a test is being conducted and not to be alarmed. When announcing a testing period, language such as “this is a test of the alert system” will help ease fears and lower the chances of misinterpreting a real threat. Additionally, designate consistent testing times to keep students and staff in the loop and aware of such practices, such as the first Monday of every month at 1 PM.

Analyze Your Results and Refine Your Testing Process

After testing is complete, document and analyze response time data to continually help improve your emergency preparedness and response. You should also measure the time it takes for the alerting process to deploy under different emergency scenarios and observe how recipients engage with alerts. The Alertus System allows recipients to click an “acknowledgment” feature once they’ve viewed a message on their desktop, mobile phone, or web browser, so administrators will know they received it. 

Determine your school's best testing times and schedule them consistently. By conducting precise testing on a set calendar, your community will be more aware of testing activities, and your organization will be better equipped to handle an emergency. When testing goes smoothly continuously without error, you will have confidence in your system and will know that you can take action effectively during an emergency.