Residents concerned with alert system as crews continue to battle 403 Fire

FLORISSANT, Colo. (KRDO) -- While the 403 fire burns nearly 1,500 acres, some residents in Park and Teller counties are questioning why the system meant to alert them during an emergency failed to do so.

When the 403 Fire began in Park County, some residents were forced to turn to social media for information. That's because the alert systems for Park and Teller counties didn't send out notifications to some residents like they were supposed to.

Juliana Schraut, a Park County resident, was working in Florissant when she heard about the 403 Fire from a neighbor’s Facebook post.

“I was freaking out and I'm like, ‘I didn't get any notification.’ So I asked (my neighbor), like, ‘What are you using?’ And she said, ‘Code Red.’ I was like, ‘What am I doing wrong?’”

She never received a notification from CodeRED. She later found out it was because her address is technically in Florissant, which the system doesn’t register as Park County. However, because she lives in Park County, she's also not eligible to sign up for Teller County's alert system. Leaving her without anywhere to turn.

“What if something happens and there's a fire right next to my home and I don't know about it,” Schraut said.

Schraut wasn't the only one struggling to find information. Those in Teller County said their system, Peak Alerts, failed them too.

Alicia Blaising told 13 Investigates she was watching the home of a volunteer firefighter who was out fighting the 403 Fire. Because that house was at risk, Blaising chose to sign up for Peak Alerts using that address.

Soon, she found out she was in a pre-evacuation order. However, Blaising didn’t learn from a text or push alert that she might need to get out, she found out about it on Facebook.

“The only place we could get information was going to the Teller County Sheriff's Facebook page, which I just feel like is a little ridiculous to expect that to be the way that people find out about alerts,” Blaising said.

Blaising explained that she didn't receive a notification about the pre-evacuation order from Peak Alerts – Teller County’s emergency system - until Sunday, three days after it went into place.

In August 2022, Teller County moved away from its previous alert system, Nixle, to Peak Alerts.

Blaising told 13 Investigates she's frustrated Teller county moved away from Nixle.

“Why did we fix what wasn't broken in the first place? The old system worked really well,” Blaising said. “Why did we switch to one that's not as effective?”

The company that oversees Peak Alerts and Teller County's sheriff said the move is to allow for more effective notifications in emergencies.

The El Paso and Teller County 911 Authority, which oversees Peak Alerts, said the program is location specific so it doesn’t overload the system. This means residents who aren't near any potential danger won't receive notifications.

“They're very targeted and isolated to get that information in the hands of the people that are impacted by that emergency the most,” explained Ben Bills, the spokesperson for the Teller County 911 Authority.

During a press conference Saturday, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said that the move away from Nixle was because the growth of the county was affecting how fast the notifications could be sent out.

“It's like a garden hose,” Mikesell said. “I can't pump a thousand gallons through that hose. I can only pump two gallons a minute through that hose. Well, the same thing happens the way your cell phones work.”

When asked about people not getting notifications, Bills told 13 Investigates he wasn’t aware of residents that were in evacuation or pre-evacuation orders and didn’t receive notifications.

When it came to Park County's alert system, CodeRED, County Commissioner Amy Mitchell said it was a glitch in the system that the county is working to address.

Regardless of the reported errors, emergency officials still urge all residents to sign up for emergency alerts. 911 Authority told 13 Investigates more than 1,600 people signed up for Peak Alerts since March 30, when the fire began.

Do you have a tip you want 13 investigates to look into? Email us at 13investigates@krdo.com