Frequently Asked Questions

Rio Blanco Alert is an emergency notification service that allows emergency officials to notify residents and businesses by telephone, cell phone, text message, email and social media regarding time-sensitive general and emergency notifications. Only authorized officials have access to the Rio Blanco Alert system.

Any message regarding the safety, property or welfare of the community will be disseminated using the Rio Blanco Alerts system. These may include AMBER alerts, notifications of hazardous traffic or road conditions, boil water advisories or evacuation notices.

This system is an enhancement to existing means of communication and is meant to supplement current or past systems used for mass notification.

The Rio Blanco Alerts database contains information received from public databases, including regional phone books. However, no resident should assume that their information is in the system. If you can not register online, you can call 970-878-9600 and speak with one of our communications specialists to complete your registration over the telephone. Or just send us an email with the following information: - Full Name - Address - Phone Numbers - Cell phone provider (if your want to receive text messages) and if you want to receive both Emergency and General Information calls.

Yes. When registering select the business option. Please note that emergency calls can only be delivered to a direct dial number. Automated attendants will disrupt the process and the calls will not be delivered. Businesses should register their main number and establish a procedure for distributing the Rio Blanco Alerts message to their workforce.

You can add four phone numbers on the initial registration and you may start the registration process again and submit more numbers for the same address.

A Rio Blanco Alerts Emergency message will have a caller ID of 866-419-5000. A Rio Blanco Alerts General message will have a caller ID 855-969-4636. We suggest you program both numbers in your cell phone as a new contact and use “Rio Blanco Alerts Emergency” and “Rio Blanco Alerts General” as the contact name. If you need to replay the emergency notification message again, simply dial the number and you will be able to hear the message again.

Listen carefully to the entire message. You will have the option to repeat the message by pressing any key. Do not call 911 for further information unless directed to do so or if you need immediate aid from the Police or Fire department.

Make sure you have at least one working corded telephone – and be sure to turn the ringer on. The Rio Blanco Alerts sign-up form allows you to indicate both a primary and alternate phone number. Cell phone and/or work phone numbers can be entered as alternate phone numbers. Both primary and alternate phone numbers will be contacted when a notification is sent.

Yes, the Rio Blanco Alerts system will leave a message on a machine or on voicemail. The Rio Blanco Alerts system will leave the entire message in one pass.

If the line is busy, Rio Blanco Alerts will try two more times to connect.

- If your contact information has changed and you have not registered your new information. - If you only a landline at your residence, the power is out and you did not register an alternate phone number. - If your line is busy for an extended time and your calls do not forward to voicemail or an answering machine. - If you have a privacy manager on your main phone and you did not register an alternate phone number. Rio Blanco County will receive a report of undelivered calls and can instruct the Rio Blanco Alerts system to begin another round of calls to busy numbers. It is best to have an alternate phone number in the calling database for these situations.