Even with Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in effect across Routt County, a current “very high” fire danger warning level and five active West Slope wildfires that have burned more than 19,300 acres so far, officials say citizen registration for the Routt County Alerts system remains disappointingly low.

Routt County Emergency Operations Director David “Mo” DeMorat said only 9,000 cell phones have been registered for the emergency alert system out of the approximate population of 25,000 in Routt County.

That population figure also does not include the many visitors to our area or the workers who commute into Routt County, DeMorat added.

The alerts registration takes about one minute online at Co.Routt.co.us/760/Routt-County-Alerts.

The emergency operations director said he believes the most common reason cellphone users may not register for emergency alerts “is that many don’t think an incident requiring such notice will happen here,” or “people may also believe they will get notifications some other way.”

DeMorat likened the problem to the issue of why people still text while driving, even though it is dangerous and illegal in Colorado.

“They are willing to take a risk because they don’t perceive the danger,” DeMorat said. “People don’t necessarily appreciate the danger until it’s in their backyard.”

DeMorat said with the current dryness of wildfire fuels, as well as firefighting resources dedicated to other fires in the region, “the danger has increased to a very high level currently” in Routt County.

Jim Cullen, who is the Routt County emergency communications manager, said landline phones are registered automatically in the county’s alert system by phone companies. Yet many of those landlines are businesses, and registrations updated by the phone companies do not include mobile phones of employees, email addresses or any other information.

The current emergency alert system used by Routt County was implemented in 2019, and any registrations from the previous system with a different company did not transfer to the current system, Cullen said. He added that not every “landline” phone in a building or home is guaranteed to be automatically registered, such as those utilizing Voice Over Internet Protocol, so citizen self-registration remains key.

“Adding it manually when registering is the safety bet, along with the option to receive texts or emails,” Cullen said. “Times like this, being in Stage 1 restrictions, makes it seem more important.”

DeMorat said if citizens depend solely on automatically registered landline notifications, the business may be closed or the second home unoccupied.

DeMorat said website registrations or sign-up slips mailed to the county are the only two methods to include resident mobile phone numbers or email addresses, as well as details regarding access and functional needs that help first responders meet factors such as lack of transportation or dependence on home medical equipment.

“We encourage everyone to register online and include mobile phone numbers, email addresses, additional locations if they desire, and any access or functional needs that by being aware of we can respond more effectively,” DeMorat said.

DeMorat noted that in times of evacuation emergencies, officials may not always have the additional resources needed to go door-to-door to contact residents, which is also a much slower method of emergency communication.

For major events such as an evacuation, the county could use the Integrated Public Alert Warning System, or, IPAWS, which will reach any mobile phone within range of a cell tower that is in the included area, similar to an Amber Alert, DeMorat explained.

However, IPAWS has constrained availability for usage and is not as accurate as the Routt County Alerts, DeMorat said.