Prepping in Denver
The Front Range gets fire, snow, hail and wind, sometimes in the same month. The Marshall Fire showed that suburbs, not just mountain towns, can burn.
- Wildfire
- Blizzards
- Wind shutoffs
Sign up today
The official Denver alert and lookup tools. Each takes a few minutes and works even if you do nothing else on this page.
- Denver emergency notificationsSign up for Denver alerts
Sign up for the city's alerts by text, call or email for the addresses you choose. Suburbs and counties run their own systems, so sign up where you live and work.
Links checked October 2026. Wireless Emergency Alerts reach most phones automatically; these add local detail.
What can go wrong in Denver
- Wind-driven grass fires
- The December 2021 Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Boulder County suburbs in a single day.
- Blizzards and spring snow
- Heavy, wet snow closes roads and snaps branches onto power lines.
- Planned power shutoffs
- Xcel Energy has cut power to parts of the Front Range on high-wind, high-fire-risk days.
- Hail and severe storms
- The Front Range sees some of the most damaging hail in the country.
- Extreme cold
- Arctic outbreaks can drop temperatures well below zero.
What that means for your plan
Treat high-wind days as fire days. Keep your go-bag in the car, your phone charged and your tank at least half full, and be ready to leave on short notice.
A planned shutoff can come in winter, so cover both cases: a power station for phones, a CPAP and lights, and cold-rated sleeping bags for a house that loses heat.
Sign up for alerts where you live and where you work. Front Range cities and counties each run their own notification systems.
Do these first, in this order
- Go-bag in the car on windy days
Grass fires can reach neighborhoods in minutes.
Go-bags and evacuation guide - Local alert sign-ups
Home and work, city and county.
Radios and communication guide - Warmth without power
Shutoffs and storms happen in cold weather too.
Lighting and staying warm guide - Power station
Covers planned shutoffs and storm outages without fumes.
Power stations and generators guide - N95s and a HEPA purifier
For smoke from fires near and far.
Go-bags and evacuation guide - Car winter kit
Blankets, water, snacks and a shovel for I-70 and storm traffic.
Go-bags and evacuation guide
Questions
How do I get emergency alerts in Denver?
Sign up for the city's emergency notifications on denvergov.org. If you live or work in a suburb, sign up there too, since Front Range cities and counties run their own systems. Wireless Emergency Alerts come to phones automatically.
What should I do on a Red Flag Warning day?
Keep your go-bag in the car, your phone charged and your tank half full, avoid anything that could spark, and be ready to leave quickly if an evacuation is ordered.
How ready is your Denver home?
The quiz weights every item for wildfire country risks and shows your top gaps. About 3 minutes, no sign-up.