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UPDATE - Due to unforeseen technical issues, the system upgrade was not able to be completed on schedule.  The ENS system remains operational, however the planned test will take place at a later date and time, after the upgrade is complete.

Queen’s will conduct an audible test of its campus Emergency Notification System (ENS) this Saturday, Feb. 10, at 11 a.m.. The test will last about one minute.

The test will consist of broadcasting “Westminster Chimes” (which sounds like the United Kingdom’s Big Ben) followed by the following pre-recorded message:

“Attention: This is a test of the Queen’s emergency notification system. This is only a test. I repeat this is only a test.”

The ENS is a public address system installed on pole-mounted outdoor speakers on top of Humphrey Hall, Chernoff Hall, and Stauffer Library on the main campus, near John Orr Tower on west campus, and on 355 King St. W. 

The speaker at 355 King St. Was added this week as part of a system upgrade, which is in part why the system will undergo the audible test. 

The ENS allows Campus Security and Emergency Services to broadcast sirens and pre-recorded messages across campus to faculty, staff, and students in the event of an emergency. The system is tested daily in “silent” mode for functionality. An audible test helps staff assess how well the alert can be heard in the normal ambient environment. 

In an emergency, the ENS uses siren signals followed by voice instructions that alert the campus community to the emergency and, if safe to do so, to check one of the many other communications channels that may be employed in an emergency for more information and instructions.

Those channels include:

•  
• Queen’s mobile safety app SeQure 
• Queen’s email accounts
• University phone status line: 613-533-3333
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For more information, including sample messages and siren tones, visit the Emergency Response Procedures website.