Boulder County receiving $1M to upgrade emergency siren system

A year after the devastation of the Marshall Fire, Boulder County is set to receive $1 million in funding to upgrade its emergency siren system.

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Lafayette), who co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Wildfire Caucus, helped procure the $1 million to replace the system, a news release confirmed.

“The Marshall Fire razed neighborhoods across Louisville, Superior, and unincorporated Boulder County — destroying over a thousand homes and businesses, and resulting in the tragic loss of life,” Rep. Neguse stated in the release.

“We must ensure that we are prepared when the next natural disaster happens. With this funding, Boulder County will be better equipped to alert families of dangerous wildfires and disasters, saving lives, and keeping our community safe.”

According to the release, the existing emergency siren system needs to be replaced because the equipment has reached or passed its service life, and the current devices use old technology. The new Long Range Acoustic Device system is expected to improve the county’s alerts and communications during emergencies.

Carrie Haverfield, a public information officer for the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, said the existing siren system is an outdoor system that issues alerts for tornadoes, flash floods, hazardous materials, severe weather, system cancellations and testing. Much like Everbridge alerts, the sirens are activated at the request of first responders.

Notably, the current programming for the sirens does not include wildfire warnings, and the system was not used during the Marshall Fire, although there are sirens located in affected areas.

“The sirens are an outdoor warning system and not designed to be used as an indoor warning system,” Haverfield said. “Some structures close by could possibly hear the siren, but as you move further away, the ability to hear it indoors is less likely.”

The county is in the early stages of determining what the requirements are for the funding and how projects need to be implemented, according to Haverfield.

“The short answer is that it’s too early to give any specifics on the (funding) and how it will be used,” she said when asked for details on the new siren system and how the $1 million will be spent.

Haverfield said more information should become available after staff have had time to review information about the funding, meet with stakeholders and discuss options.