The system that the University uses to alert students, faculty and staff to emergencies is getting a new name — TigerAlert.
Previously, the emergency notifications were called "PTENS" messages, an abbreviation for the Princeton Telephone and Email Notification System. PTENS messages began with the words "Princeton Alert."
From now on, the telephone, email and text messages generated by the emergency notification system will begin with "TigerAlert."
The first test of the emergency alert system with the new name will be held Friday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m. All members of the campus community will receive a TigerAlert test notification via telephone, email and text message. The campus blue light tower notification system will also broadcast a test message, as will the Alertus desktop notification system.
Public Safety, the Department of Environmental Health and Safety and other University offices began moving toward standardizing messages with the "tiger" nomenclature about a year ago, in part to avoid any confusion with municipality of Princeton emergency alerts.
"The switch to TigerAlert is a move to brand all our emergency communication tools with a reference to the University's 'tiger' identity," said Paul Ominsky, executive director of public safety.
Those tools include the TIgerSafe app, which quickly pushes emergency messages to smartphones and tablets as well as contains emergency preparedness and other helpful information. "We urge everyone to download the app," Ominsky said.
"We have a safe campus, certainly, but from time to time various situations develop that call for emergency messages," said Robin Izzo, director of environmental health and safety. "When that happens, we want everyone to be 'TigerReady.'"
Anyone with questions about the TigerAlert system should email tigeralert@princeton.edu.