ORONO – The University of Maine will conduct a full-scale test of its emergency warning siren system at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22.

As part of its comprehensive emergency communications system, the university installed one siren on the roof of Class of 1944 Hall last summer. To assure full campus coverage, additional sirens have been added at Androscoggin Hall and York Hall.

Friday’s test will serve two purposes. It will verify that all the mechanisms are in proper working order and it will allow for an assessment of the system’s coverage area.

The test will begin at 5 p.m. with five minutes at partial volume, followed by three minutes at full volume.

The sound likely will be audible in parts of Orono and Old Town.

The siren serves as a signal that there is a serious alert and those who are on campus should seek information. In an emergency, information will be posted on UMaine’s Web site and its on-campus e-mail and conferencing system. In addition, a recorded message at 581-INFO will provide details about the emergency. UMaine students, faculty members and staff members also may register with UMaine.txt at www.umaine.edu/umainetxt, a system that provides emergency text messages to user cell phones.