When the Marshall Fire tore through unincorporated Boulder County and the towns of Superior and Louisville on Dec. 30, 2021, it was reminiscent of El Paso Countyís own fire disasters: the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire and the 2013 Black Forest Fire. It was also a sobering reminder for people who live in areas where wildland meets homes to be prepared for sudden and unexpected situations.One simple preparedness action is to sign up for emergency alerts from the El Paso-Teller County 9-1-1 Authority. Called Peak Alerts, these notifications are sent by public safety agencies in El Paso and Teller counties to alert residents to dangerous situations that are deemed a threat to life or property, according to the Authority website. Examples listed include ó but are not limited to ó ìnatural or man-made disasters, hazardous materials incidents, missing persons, law enforcement activity impacting the public, evacuation notices, and more.î Alerts can be sent via text, phone call, email, the Everbridge mobile app, fax and more.To learn more about Peak Alerts and sign up for them, go to https://elpasoteller911.org/246/Peak-Alerts. New users can create an account, specify their preferred means of receiving alerts, and designate different locations (such as home, work or school) for which they would like to receive notifications. Those who are already registered should log in periodically to verify or update the information on file.The El Paso-Teller County 9-1-1 Authority recommends using as many forms of communication as possible to stay informed during any emergency, including news broadcasts, radio stations, social media, websites and weather radios.
