Emergency Notifications
Outdoor Warning Siren System
The City of Denison has an outdoor warning system comprised of five sirens used to notify people outdoors about hazardous conditions.
Reasons for Siren Activation:
- Tornado warning issued by National Weather Service for Denison or the surrounding area.
- Trained storm spotters identify and report tornado in Denison or the surrounding area with the potential to impact Denison
- Winds over 70 mph
- Hail 1.5" or larger
- Other emergencies as determined by public safety officials
What should you do when you hear the sirens?
Find shelter immediately, preferably indoors and away from windows. If shelter is not available, seek safety in a low-lying area that is not prone to flooding. Once sheltered, use a NOAA weather radio or local media to monitor conditions.
Please do not call 911 to ask why the sirens were activated.
When are the sirens tested?
The City of Denison currently tests the outdoor warning system on the second Wednesday of each month at 9:00 am pending favorable weather.
If the weather is questionable, the test will not be conducted to avoid any potential confusion as to whether or not there is a genuine emergency.
What should you do if you're in a vehicle or mobile home?
Vehicles and mobile homes are very susceptible to hazards created by severe weather. You should always have a designated shelter or plan to evacuate to safety. If you don't have time to find shelter, abandon the vehicle or mobile home and lie in the nearest ditch with your hands covering your head.
What should you do if you notice a siren malfunction?
If anyone notices a siren doesn’t appear to be working properly, don’t wait. Report it by contacting the City of Denison’s Emergency Management Coordinator at (903)465-2720, Extension 2437. The Emergency Management Coordinator will notify the jurisdiction responsible for repairing the problem.
NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio
We recommend purchasing a NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio with Single Area Message Encoding (S.A.M.E.) technology. This technology allows the radio to broadcast messages specific to a single county rather than the entire forecast office area. Our local code for Grayson County is 048181.
NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information from the nearest National Weather Service (NWS) office. NWS offices broadcast official warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. NOAA weather radio broadcasts may include information such as:
- Natural disaster warnings for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, extreme heat or severe winter weather
- Environmental disaster warnings like hazardous material spills, chemical releases and oil spills
- Public safety warnings that include Amber Alerts, 9-1-1 telephone outages and national emergencies
Click here for more information about NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio
Wireless Emergency Alerts
The Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system is a public safety warning broadcasts alerts to customers with certain wireless phones and other enabled mobile devices. The notifications are geographically-targeted, text-like messages identifying imminent threats to safety in a specific area. WEA technology ensures that emergency alerts will be delivered, even during cellular use, unlike standard mobile voice and texting services.
Types of alerts through this system are:
- Presidential Alerts
- Amber Alerts
- Extreme Weather Warnings
- Alerts for imminent threats to life safety
Click here for more information about WEA
CodeRed
The City of Denison has instituted the CodeRED Emergency Notification System - an ultra high-speed telephone communication service for emergency notifications. This system allows us to telephone all or targeted areas of the city in case of an emergency that requires immediate action (such as a boil-water notice, missing child or evacuation notices). The system is capable of dialing 60,000 phone numbers per hour. It then delivers a pre-recorded message describing the situations to a live person or an answering machine in the affected area possibly including instructions requiring action on the part of the recipient. Once the situation is remedied, another call will be placed to the area signaling that the issue has been addressed and that normal activities can be resumed.
Click here to register for the CodeRed system
