WSU will hold an all-campus lockdown to test the alert system at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday on the Pullman campus.

Emergency Management Coordinator Sarah Blatner said when the doors lock, WSU students, faculty and staff will receive their first message via email, text message, phone call or on their social media.

“The doors will take about five minutes to lock,” Blatner said. “Then at noon, there will be an ‘all-clear’ message that goes out.”

The procedure is only a door-locking test, Blatner said. She wants people to become familiar with the WSU alert system in case of emergencies.

She said it is important to be aware when doors may be locked in certain situations and to locate the exits.

“If people want to practice sheltering in place, it is up to them,” Blatner said. “We want people to think about what they will do in case of emergency.”

She said it takes about a month to plan an all-campus emergency test. The spring semester lockdown test meetings began early January.

“It would be the spring semester test when we do the door-alerting portion. We try to do it a little later in the semester because it is usually warmer,” she said. “If people can’t get into certain buildings, they’re [going to be] cold.”

Blatner said during the test last year no one could enter buildings regardless of card access, except for first responders.

This year, people with a CougarCard will have the ability to use them to enter the buildings during the practice procedure, Blatner said.

She said the Office of Emergency Management must test their communication system a few times a year, and it was decided to test certain procedures once every semester.

“We do have those guidelines we have to abide by,” Blatner said, “but again, we also want to have that component in assessing people when thinking what to do in different emergencies other than the inclement weather.”

The lockdown test will be an all-campus procedure, she said. The electronic doors will be automatically locked and doors with manual locks will be left unlocked.

Blatner said with any alert information sent to students, faculty and staff there is more information on the alert website, which can be found on alert.wsu.edu.