Emergency warning sirens and public address systems will be tested in the City of Boulder and on the University of Colorado at Boulder campus Monday, April 6, at 10 a.m., in a joint effort by CU-Boulder and the Boulder City-County Office of Emergency Management.
Outdoor sirens will sound for two minutes followed by a voice announcement stating, "This is a warning system test." No action or response is necessary during this exercise.
Tests of the siren system will occur on the first Monday of each month from April through August, except for May. In May, the test will be on Wednesday, May 6, in conjunction with a flood response exercise.
Testing of the Boulder and campus warning systems is designed to ensure the effectiveness of the sirens and public address equipment, as well as to raise awareness of the potential for severe weather and flash-flooding of Boulder Creek.
Members of the community living and working in the Boulder Creek floodpath should be especially aware of the risks during the primary flood season of April through September, according to Robert Amick, supervisor of the CU Police Department聮s Communications Center.
In the event of an actual emergency, individuals should tune to radio or television for additional information about possible natural hazard warnings such as flash floods, tornadoes or other emergencies.
In Boulder, information is available on Boulder Municipal Cable Channel 8 for cable TV subscribers; television broadcast stations on channels 2, 4, 7 and 9; radio stations KOA 850 AM, KBCO 1190 AM and 97.3 FM, and KBVI at 1490 AM. CU Television also will broadcast information on the CU cable TV network channels 2 and 8.
Also, a recorded message will be available on the CU public information line at 492-5500 (2-5500 from on-campus phones).
"It聮s important to note that the outdoor warning systems may not be heard inside buildings or when people are sleeping. Other means of notification are being developed and tested for possible application in the future," said Amick.
Boulder campus sirens are located at Franklin Field, east of Folsom Stadium, and on the east campus near the Nuclear Physics Laboratory on Marine Street.
City of Boulder sirens are located at the New Britain Building at Broadway and Arapahoe, the NIST Building at 325 Broadway, Fire Station No. 3 at 30th and Arapahoe, Crestview Elementary at 1897 Sumac, Columbine Elementary at 3130 Repplier St., Martin Park Elementary at 3740 Martin Dr., New Vista High School at Gillaspie and Armer Drive, and the Vectra Bank Building at 14th and Walnut.
All sirens have public address voice capability except the Martin Park and Vectra Bank units, which are siren tone only.
For Internet information about emergency preparedness and natural hazards, see:
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency):
American Red Cross:
CU聮s Natural Hazards Center:
National Weather Service: iwin.nws.noaa.gov