Regular testing keeps staff familiar with their devices and gives administrators visibility into which Cards are online and in range across the facility. Punch Rescue makes testing fast, non-disruptive, and automatically documented.

Individual Card button press test — for staff

If administrators prefer staff to be able to test their Card at all times within their organization, we recommend categorizing a single press as a "test" or "practice" alert. If the press is successfully received, the Card's LED will flash and the device will vibrate to confirm the signal was received. No visible or audible alarms, no notifications, and no 911 dispatch.

If your single press is mapped to anything other than a test or practice, then staff do not have an independent way to test their Card. Administrators can turn on "Test Mode" via app.punchrescue.com to activate a 2-minute test window that allows staff to press any button pattern without sending alarms to anyone.

Alert Station Test Alert — for administrators

To verify the Alert Station's audible alarm and strobe: go to Devices, click the gear icon on the Alert Station row, scroll to the red Test Alert section, and click Test Alert. The Alert Station activates its alarm and lights locally. No staff notifications are sent. Click Reset Alert when finished.

This test confirms the physical alarm hardware is working but does not test the full Card-to-Repeater-to-Alert Station signal path.

System-wide Test Mode

Test Mode puts your Alert Stations and Repeaters into a protected state for a 2-minute window where Card button presses generate a full local response — alarms activate, Repeater strobes flash — but no external notifications are sent and 911 is not called.

Go to the Test Mode page in the left sidebar and activate organization-wide Test Mode. During the window, have staff press their Cards as they would in a real emergency. Observe the response across the facility and note any areas where the alarm response was slow or absent — those may be coverage gaps worth addressing.

Reactivate Test Mode as needed if you require more than 2 minutes. All test events are logged automatically and count toward compliance documentation.

What Test Mode tests and what it does not

Test Mode verifies the full signal path — Card to Repeater to Alert Station — and the local alarm and strobe response. It does not test external notifications (push, SMS, email) or 911 dispatch. To verify notification delivery, have a staff member trigger a real alert outside of Test Mode during a low-risk moment, using whichever press pattern is configured for a lower-escalation response at your organization. Ensure staff marked as "Responder" are notified of the test to avoid them reacting as if a real emergency is being reported.