UK Police to conduct UK Alert system test March 4
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 2, 2026) — The University of Kentucky Police Department’s Division of Crisis Management and Preparedness will conduct a test of the UK Alert emergency notification system at 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 4. This test will be shortly followed by a statewide tornado drill led by the National Weather Service at 10:07 a.m.
If a real emergency occurs on this day, you will receive a UK Alert with instructions on any immediate action that may need to be taken, and the UK Alert test will be rescheduled.
The UK Alert system will issue a university-wide message saying, “UK ALERT: This is a test of the UK Alert System, this is only a test. Please complete the survey at go.uky.edu/UKAlertSurvey.”
The test will activate all available alert methods, including:
- Text messages, phone calls and emails
- Digital signage, Cisco phones and indoor speakers
- Desktop notifications and outdoor Blue Emergency Tower speakers
- The UK website (uky.edu)
- Push notifications via the SafeZone app
- University X and Facebook accounts
All UK community members with an official UKY email address will receive UK Alerts via email.
Important reminder regarding UK Alerts
Students: If you have entered a valid cell phone number in myUK, you will automatically receive alerts via phone call and text.
Faculty and staff: You must now download the SafeZone app and register with a valid phone number to enroll in UK Alerts via phone call and text.
All students, faculty and staff with an official UKY email address will automatically receive UK Alerts via email, regardless of app use, though we encourage all UK community members to download SafeZone today.
Employees who have not downloaded and registered with the SafeZone app should not expect to receive a phone call or text alert during this test.
Parents, families and community members: To sign up for UK Alerts via text, send “UKY-FAMILY” or “UKY-COMMUNITY” to 59713.
For more information, visit go.uky.edu/SafeZoneApp.
Preparedness is the best form of prevention. More information on staying Wildcat Ready is available at go.uky.edu/WildcatReady.
For questions or concerns regarding this test, contact the UK Police Department’s Division of Crisis Management and Preparedness at CMP@uky.edu.
Supervisors are asked to share this information with staff members who may not have regular computer access.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.