Outdoor Warning Sirens

Outdoor Warning Sirens

The Town of Erie and Mountain View Fire Protection District (MVFPD) have partnered to provide an outdoor warning notification sirens. When a disaster occurs, the sirens will sound. The sound and length of the signal may vary, depending on the situation.


Siren TestingTesting Outdoor Sirens on Monday
The Boulder County Office of Disaster Management will perform a test of the outdoor warning sirens at 10 a.m. and again at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 3. The test will last two minutes and is audible from Mountain View Fire Rescue’s stations located at Erie Parkway and Bonanza Drive in the Grandview neighborhood and Piper Drive and Bonanza Drive in the Vista Ridge neighborhood. To view a map of the Erie locations and more, visit the Outdoor Warning Sirens webpage.

Subject to cancellation due to weather or another emergency during the test.

Tests

Coordination and testing of the county-wide network of outdoor sirens are managed by the Boulder County Office of Disaster Management (BODM). Activation of the sirens is controlled through the Boulder County Communications Center, which dispatches all emergency communications for the Town of Erie. 

In Erie, sirens are tested audibly on the first Monday of  April. The two-minute tests are done at 10:00 am and 7:00 pm. The two tests aim to familiarize people who work and live in different places with the sirens. Additionally, it is important to ensure the sirens work properly and educate the public about what action to take when they hear the sirens.

Locations

The siren system is an all-hazard warning system that alerts people outdoors to potential danger. More than thirty outdoor warning sirens are in place across Boulder County. The sirens are in Boulder, Longmont, Lafayette, Lyons, Eldorado Springs, Jamestown, Superior, Erie, and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

In Erie, sirens are located at (see them on a map):

  • MVFPD's Station 6 is located at Erie Parkway and Bonanza Drive in the Grandview neighborhood
  • MVFPD's Station 8 is located in Vista Ridge.
  • 111th Street in Lafayette, which services southwestern Erie. 

When Sirens Sound

The outdoor warning sirens are sounded only in the event of an emergency or during pre-announced tests. The sirens are activated through the Boulder County Sheriff's Communications, Boulder Police and Fire Communications, and Longmont Police and Fire Communication centers.

When you hear a siren, you should:

  • Tune in to radio stations KOA 850 AM, KBCO 1190 AM, or 97.3 FM
  • Turn on local television news channels (2, 4, 7, 9, or 31). Listen for a voice message if you are near a voice-activated siren
  • Refrain from calling 911


Note: Outdoor warning sirens may not be heard inside buildings. They are primarily intended to warn persons in outdoor areas.

It is estimated that about 50% of the public can hear a siren on a still day. During heavy rains or stormy weather, the percentage of people who hear a warning siren is greatly reduced because of the noise associated with the storm and because more people are indoors.