Emergency Notifications

Landline Phones

If the only form of communication you have is a landline phone, and you don’t want to receive messages on any other device, you do not need to sign up for this service as you are already attached to an emergency notification system through the City of Longmont and/or Boulder County 911 services.

Mobile Devices

If we can’t reach you…. we can’t alert you. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) currently requires mobile devices to opt in for local reverse notification.  This means that it is up to you to opt in for these emergency notifications.

How do I sign up?

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who should sign up? Anyone living within the City of Longmont limits who no longer have a land line in their home (a land line, main line or fixed-line is a telephone line which travels through a metal wire or optical fiber and does not require power for it to work). If you own additional communication devices i.e. cell phones, VoIP (voice over Internet protocol), email, etc. you will want to sign up for this service as it provides a number of additional ways in which emergency information can be disseminated quickly.
• If I don’t live in Boulder or Weld County can I still sign up? Contact your local government office.  You may also get the information statewide at 911Colorado.org.
• If I live in the Longmont city limits, but in Weld County, can I also sign up for the Boulder County alerts? Yes, we would encourage those that live in the Longmont city limits, but are on the Weld County side, to sign up for both the Boulder County and Weld County alerts. The alert system does allow the Longmont Emergency Communications Center to send messages to both Boulder County and Weld County residents within the city limits.
• When will the emergency notification system be used? The system for the Longmont city limits, Boulder County residents, is activated by the Longmont Emergency Communications Center (LECC) and is used to notify residents about imminent threats to health and safety like large wildfires, significant hazardous spills, shelter in place, at-risk missing child or adult, dangerous situations, and other major emergencies. Weld County subscribers, may receive a CodeRED alert for evacuation notices, shelter in place or lock down orders, severe weather alerts (must opt in) as well as other public safety emergency information.
• Should we wait for notification? If you feel you or your family is in imminent danger take the appropriate evacuation steps, do not wait for an alert. The notification service is provided as a supplemental emergency communication method and should not be relied upon exclusively.
• English is not my first language. Can I get these notifications translated? Information for language options will be detailed when you access the “sign up” options. 
  
• Will I be guaranteed to receive the notification? We cannot monitor the current or future accuracy of the information provided by participants in this program. It is the sole responsibility of participants to keep any home or business contact information current and accurate. We do not assume legal responsibility for inaccurate information or technical difficulties that may result in notification failures. As well as signing up for emergency notifications we recommend following Longmont public safety social media (Longmont Fire Police and OEM) and information posted to the city website (longmontcolorado.gov) in an emergency.
• Is there a fee to use the emergency notification service? No. The service is free to residents of both Boulder and Weld Counties. Those who sign up to be notified via text messages and email. Mobile device owners will be responsible for any data charges or fees associated with receiving email or text messages charged by their cell phone service provider.
• What if my phone number or emails address changes? If your cell phone, work phone or email address changes, you are responsible for accessing this website, logging back into your account that you created and updating the information.
• Will my contact information be shared with others? No. The information that you provide will be used for emergency notification purposes only. It will not be provided to any vendor, or organization, or be used for any other purpose.
• Do I need to enter an actual address? Yes. The system is based on geographical boundaries and will not accept post office box addresses.
• If I have a “blocked” phone will this impact receiving emergency messages? You will not receive the notification call with a blocked telephone line. Solicitor blocking services will also impact notification. In Boulder County, you must add 303-651-8501 to your contact list to receive messages. In Weld County, you must add the following numbers to your contact list: Emergency alert notifications 866-419-5000; Community alerts for general notifications 855-969-4636 and weather alerts warnings: 800-566-9780.
• If I am in a location that is different than the address that I enter into the website for my wireless phone, will I still be contacted if an emergency affects the address entered? Yes. No matter where you are physically located, you will receive calls for emergencies that affect the address entered into the website. So if you are on vacation in a different state you will still receive a phone call if the address you entered is affected by an emergency.

Local emergency notification is a different system than Amber Alert and WEA (wireless emergency alert).

• The local emergency alerts allows Longmont emergency personnel to notify small sections of town by drawing a polygon on a computer aided dispatch screen. The system once started, systematically notifies those who live in the area. This is set off from the Longmont Emergency Communications Center (LECC) in Boulder County. In Weld County, the Weld County Communications Center (WCCC) sets off the alert at the Longmont Emergency Communications Center (LECC) request.
• WEA (wireless emergency alert) is based on a larger geographical area. They are short emergency messages from public alerting authorities that can be broadcast from cell towers to any WEA enabled mobile device in a locally targeted area.
• Amber Alert is initiated by law enforcement and activated by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The following requirements must be met in order to activate the alert. The abducted child must be 17 years of age or younger, the abducted child must be in immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death. There must be enough descriptive information available to believe a broadcast will assist or aid in the recovery and the activation must be requested by a local law enforcement agency or AMBER designee from another state.

If you have further questions of the Longmont Office of Emergency Management, please email or call 303-651-8438. If no one immediately answers this non-emergency phone line, please leave a message and someone will return your call (M-F; 8am – 5pm).