Campus Alert Archive
Montana Tech

A Test Push to the Whole Roster: Montana Tech's Emergency Team Accidentally Locks Down North Campus

MTothertesthigh confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On the morning of Wednesday, December 19, 2012, Montana Tech's emergency management team accidentally pushed a lockdown alert to every signed-up student, parent, and staff phone while testing the technology during a meeting. The verbatim text — 'Montana Tech Alert: All buildings on north campus in lockdown' — was meant only for internal team members.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Montana Tech of the University of Montana
Public Bachelors · MT
~2,800 studentsMontana Tech Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimBillings Gazette quoting verbatim Montana Tech text alert125 chars
Montana Tech Alert: All buildings on north campus in lockdown. Lock doors, stay away from windows and doors, turn off lights.
Sent the morning of Wednesday, December 19, 2012 in Butte, Montana (Mountain Standard Time, UTC-7)
Pushed accidentally to the full distribution list while the emergency management team was testing the system in a meeting
The text uses concrete lockdown verbs ('lock doors', 'turn off lights') typical of run-hide-fight messaging — making the accidental send especially alarming
CORRECTIONSMS
Approximate reconstruction156 chars
Montana Tech Alert: The previous lockdown message was a test sent in error. There is NO lockdown and no threat to campus. We apologize for any alarm caused.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Issued shortly after the accidental push to clarify there was no lockdown and no threat
Spokesperson Amanda Badovinac said the incident showed the tool worked and encouraged more sign-ups
Montana Tech enrolled roughly 2,800 students in 2012, with about 1,300 people signed up for the Montana Tech Alert system at the time
Context

Background

On the morning of Wednesday, December 19, 2012, Montana Tech's emergency management team triggered a real-text lockdown alert while testing the system during a meeting in Butte, Montana. The push, which read 'Montana Tech Alert: All buildings on north campus in lockdown. Lock doors, stay away from windows and doors, turn off lights,' was supposed to reach only members of the emergency team but was instead delivered to every student, parent, and staff phone signed up for the service. Tech spokesperson Amanda Badovinac confirmed the alert was a test that mistakenly went to the full distribution list. About 1,300 people were signed up for the Montana Tech Alert system at the time. While the message did cause alarm, Badovinac said it demonstrated the Montana Tech Alert system was operational and used the moment to encourage more sign-ups. Accidental lockdown alerts at small public institutions are particularly notable because the relative reach is disproportionate — a single mis-send can hit a meaningful share of the campus community within seconds.
Analysis

Key Findings

The verbatim text 'All buildings on north campus in lockdown' was confirmed by the Billings Gazette
The alert was sent to the full distribution list while the emergency team tested the system in a private meeting
Montana Tech's spokesperson reframed the mistake as evidence the system worked, encouraging more community members to enroll
Outcome
Tech spokesperson Amanda Badovinac confirmed the alert was a test mistakenly sent to the full distribution list. There was no actual lockdown or threat. The university said the incident demonstrated the tool worked and encouraged more people to sign up.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Montana Tech text alert of lockdown was test, no cause for alarm (Billings Gazette)
    billingsgazette.com
  2. News
    Tech text alert no cause for alarm (Montana Standard)
    mtstandard.com
  3. Official
    Emergency Notification System — Montana Tech Alert (Montana Tech)
    mtech.edu
Tags
false-alarmaccidental-alerttest-mistakemontanabuttelockdownpublic-bachelorssmall-institutionUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion