Community » Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

Be In The Know – Sign-up for area alerts

Get alerts about emergencies and other important community news in our area by signing up for both Pitkin and Eagle Counties’ Emergency Alert Programs. These systems provide subscribers with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons, and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods. All systems in the Roaring Fork Valley run on a platform called Everbridge, however each alert system is independent (details below).
 
How communications are split:
  • Emergency – gas leaks, evacuations and wildfires
  • Non-emergency alerts – traffic alerts, pass closures, severe weather, natural disasters and community area alerts
It is recommended that Roaring Fork Valley residents in the Basalt/Midvalley area subscribe to both the Pitkin County and Eagle County systems and not just the county in which they work or live. The valley has many jurisdictions and in many cases, one county may be deemed responsible for communicating with the public, with that information being forwarded to the next system. This will result in a delay, so the fastest way to get information in an emergency is to subscribe to both.
 
You can opt-in to receive time-sensitive messages wherever you specify, such as your home, mobile or business phones, and text messages. Subscribers can also identify if they have special needs such as a disability or other medical need that would be important for first responders to know in an emergency.

Road Conditions | COtrip.org

The latest road conditions can be found on the CO Department of Transportation’s website cotrip.org.

You can also sign up for text alerts and updates on road closures at https://511.cotrip.org. This is one of the fastest ways to learn about I-70 and other road closures.

Pitkin Alert (Pitkin County) | Sign-up here 

For registration assistance, please call the PitkinAlert Help Desk at (970) 429-6183. Please leave a message and your call will be returned. Non-emergency questions regarding published alerts should be directed to the Communications Dispatch Center at (970) 920-5310.  Please do NOT call 911 with non-emergency questions.

EC Alert (Eagle County) | Sign-up here 

For registration assistance, please call (970) 328-3545. Be sure to look for location specific alerts – including El Jebel and Basalt.

Garfield County Emergency Alerts | Sign-up here

For registration assistance, information or questions regarding the emergency notification system, please contact the Garfield County Communications Authority at (970) 625-8095 or support@garco911.com.

Residents living or working in Garfield County may also want to sign-up for Garco 911 updates.

NOTE: This is another source for Glenwood Canyon closures.

Everbridge App

All three counties (details above) use an emergency system powered by Everbridge. While individuals can opt-in to text message updates for emergencies, the Everbridge app is used to communicate both emergency (gas leaks, evacuations and wildfires) and non-emergency alerts (traffic alerts, pass closures, severe weather, natural disasters and community area alerts) to the public. NOTE: You may be required to have separate usernames and passwords for each of the county alert systems. However it is possible to add multiple accounts within the app to receive important updates across the Roaring Fork Valley.

How to download the app

  1. Find the Everbridge App in the Google Play Store or iOS App Store and download it.
  2. Allow Everbridge to send Push Notifications
  3. Select “Find an organization or subscription”
  4. Search for Pitkin County, Eagle County, or Garfield County, then select “Public Alerts”
  5. Log in with your username and password associated with the alert system. NOTE: You will need to have an existing username and password before adding your account(s) to the app. If you don’t have credentials, you will need to create them at this step. 
  6. Username and password recovery can be found using the Sign-up here links below.
  7. For more information and instructions for downloading the app, click here.

Within each alert account, users are able to manage their account settings, customizing what alerts are received and how (app notification, email, text, phone call…etc.). To make changes, select the account, then click Manage My Profile. Modifications can be made to the profile as well as what subscriptions are received, including community alerts, weather alerts, red flag/fire warnings. There is also the ability to geotarget, meaning you can opt-in to only the El Jebel community alerts in Eagle County, and you will not receive updates regarding the Eagle River side (Vail).

Subscription examples

Post-Lake Christine Fire

For text updates specific to Lake Christine burn scar events, text LCFLOOD to 888777

Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Community Connect

Community Connect is a free, secure, and easy to use platform that allows residents/businesses owners the ability to share critical information about your household/business that will aid first responders and emergency response personnel when responding to your residence/office. Providing information about your household will enhance our ability to protect your family/employees and your property.‍ Sign up today.
 

Important Facebook pages

Basalt Police Department
Roaring Fork Fire Rescue
Basalt & Rural Fire Protection District
Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office
Eagle County Sheriff’s Office

Other resources

National Council for Aging Care: Disaster Preparedness: A Complete Guide For Seniors