The City and County of Denver has an ALL-HAZARD siren system consisting of 73 outdoor warning sirens (including nine at Denver International Airport). The siren system is activated for any type of hazard that could seriously affect the Denver population. The siren system can be activated for either the entire county or specific affected areas. When the sirens sound, the public is advised to tune into radio or television and listen for official announcements or information concerning the emergency. Radio Station 850 KOA (on the AM dial) is the primary Emergency Alert System (EAS) activation station, which should alert listeners to impending emergencies. The City of Denver tests the sirens on the second Wednesday of each month at 11:00 a.m.
The Emergency Alert System replaced the Emergency Broadcasting System (EBS) technology. By federal law, the EAS equipment was mandated to be installed and operational in every radio and television station by January 1, 1997, and in cable television systems by July 1, 1997. This new technology is designed to allow statewide alerts as well as single or multiple county alerts. Police, Fire, National Weather Service, and Emergency Management officials are all potential users of the EAS in the event of an emergency that threatens life and property. Radio and television stations must conduct weekly tests of the EAS without voice messages, however the full capability of the EAS must be tested once each month. This means subordinate stations in the network must react to such tests within 15 minutes of reception by carrying the voice and text messages as originated or paraphrased.
A NOAA Weather Radio is a dedicated radio enabling the listener to receive real time weather information provided by the National Weather Service. The information provided includes current weather conditions, local forecasts, travel and recreational forecasts, as well as climatology data. Weather messages are repeated every 4 to 6 minutes and are updated every 1 to 3 hours. (Note: updates occur more frequently in rapidly changing or hazardous weather conditions.) During severe weather, live broadcasts are made to notify listeners of potential hail, flooding, tornadoes, blizzard conditions, and other weather warnings. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts can usually be heard as far as 40 miles from a transmitter. The latest feature added to the NOAA Weather Radio allows a listener the option of hearing warnings for specific areas, typically a county-area. These tone-alert radios can be purchased at many electronic stores, however it is a good idea to "call around" to confirm which stores actually sell the NOAA radios. If you are surrounded by tall buildings in a city or you are located in a mountain valley, a good quality antenna may be required for reliable reception.