Emergency Planning

Emergency Notification System

Sign up to receive emergency notifications via Code Red Emergency Notification System, which is part of Adams County Communication Center, or ADCOM. Code Red is designed to contact home landline phones, but cell phones can be added to the notification system if residents register their number. This is a free service.

Code Red emergency notification system will be activated in emergency situations such as:

Risk of significant harm
An urgent threat
For missing children or persons
Hostage situations
Shootings
Fires
Chemical releases
Natural disasters
Other non-emergency situations like road closures and debris removal instructions after a severe storm

For more information visit ADCOM.

Tools and Resources

Visit one or all of the following emergency preparedness sites for valuable guides, information and tips to prepare for an emergency.

ReadyColorado
Tools to help Colorado residents create a plan, take classes, build kits, volunteer and more. Visit www.readycolorado.com.

Ready.gov
This page is part of the national public service campaign to educate Americans on disaster preparedness and response. It includes news, notifications and emergency management tools.

FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency site includes current disaster news, assistance information and resources to prepare for a disaster.

Useful Documents for Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management (OEM), a division within the Police Department, is responsible for the city’s emergency management, overseeing day-to-day non-emergency operations and emergency operations during a disaster or crises.

The city also has a Mobile Command Center (MCC) vehicle designed to respond to and support public safety operations.

Warning Tower Program

Commerce City has 20 warning towers spread across the city that notify citizens of actual or impending threats such as tornadoes and life-threatening hail. This Warning Tower Map shows the locations of the warning towers near you.

The warning tower system is activated when the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a Tornado Warning anywhere within the city boundaries. Warnings indicate imminent danger and require immediate action to take shelter. For more information on tornadoes and safety procedures read the Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Lightning – A Preparedness Guide.

Warning Tower System

When it is activated the warning alert consists of:

Three cycles of a 1 minute siren wail tone followed by a verbal warning message in both English and Spanish, which states “Warning, a tornado warning has been issued for your location. Please take shelter immediately.”
Once the threat has passed, then an “All Clear” message will be issued. The message consists of an alert tone for 5 seconds followed by a verbal “All Clear” message in both English and Spanish stating, “All clear, the emergency is over.” This message will be repeated twice.

OEM performs an audible test of the warning tower system between noon and 1 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month.

Commerce City residents living near the border of Denver and Brighton may hear their warning sirens even though the emergency does not affect Commerce City, and the system has not been activated.

Dick's Sporting Goods Park also has a warning system for the outdoor soccer fields surrounding the stadium to clear the fields due to lightning, winds, or other hazardous weather. Depending on conditions and wind direction, the Dick's Sporting Goods Park warnings may be heard as far as a mile away.

Please contact the Emergency Manager at 303-289-3792 if you have any questions or concerns about the warning tower system.