Cornell will test its emergency notification system April 8, using sirens, public address systems, and text, voice and e-mail messages. The test will begin at 12:15 p.m.

"When you hear the sirens and receive the test message, you need do nothing," said Curtis Ostrander, vice president of risk management and public safety and chief of Cornell Police. "We have timed the test to begin when classes change to minimize disruption."

The siren/PA system test will begin with an alert tone followed by the broadcast of a 25-second message saying, "This is a test. This is a test of the emergency notification system. This is only a test. This is a test of the emergency notification system. This is only a test." An alert tone will follow the message for 60 seconds. A sample of the tone can be heard online at http://www.epr.cornell.edu/.

Students, faculty and staff who have registered to receive emergency notification via text or voice message will receive a test message. Voice messages will have a called ID of 607-254-4636. Text messages will have a caller ID of 10801. The message will be: "Cornell University Alert: This is a test of the Cornell Emergency Notification system. This is only a test."

The Office of Emergency Planning and Recovery is urging students, faculty and staff to register their emergency contact information if they haven't already done so.

To register, students can visit https://selfservice.adminapps.cornell.edu/studentcenter/. Select the links for Emergency Contact Info and Emergency Mass Notification.

Employees should go to https://ee.ohr.cornell.edu/. Click on the Personal Information tab and select the links for EMN Phone Number and Emergency Contact(s).

"Cornell's emergency notification system is a critical component of our emergency response," Ostrander said. "Every Cornellian has a role to play in emergency preparedness."