Emergency Management

The City of Denton has sixteen outdoor warning sirens. The sirens are used to alert citizens of impending emergencies, including severe weather. In order to ensure the that all the mechanical parts of the siren are used regularly and that the sirens are working properly, the sirens are tested once a month. The sirens are tested on the first Wednesday of each month at noon and each test lasts approximately 3 minutes. In the event of an actual emergency, the sirens will not be tested, but instead sounded to alert citizens to the emergency. In the event of inclement weather the siren test will be postponed until the second Wednesday of the month.
In addition, the sirens will be tested periodically with a "growl" test, which means the siren goes off for a few seconds without the loud noise. Most residents will never hear the growl test.

Map of Siren Locations

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HEAR THE OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS

• LISTEN to radio station KNTU 88.1 FM or a local television channel for severe weather information.
• Get away from windows and exterior doors and walls.
• Move to a good shelter location such as a basement or underground shelter.
• If an underground shelter is not available, move to an interior bathroom, hallway, or closet on the lowest level of the structure.
• Place as many walls between you and the outside of the structure as possible.  Try to locate in the centermost room on the lowest level of the building.  This will help protect you from glass and other flying debris. 
• If you are outside, hurry to a nearby sturdy building or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area. 
• If you are in a car or mobile home, get out immediately and head for safety - a nearby sturdy building or lie flat in a ditch in a low-lying area. 

WHAT IF YOU DON'T LIVE NEAR AN OUTDOOR WARNING SIREN? 
Residents that do not live near an ourdoor warning siren are encouraged to purchase a NOAA Weather Warning Radio.  These radios will activate and sound an alert for severe weather watches and warnings.  They can be purchased at most electronic stores and many models can be programmed to recieve weather alerts specifically for Denton County.  If you need help programming your weather warning radio, feel free to contact the City of Denton Office of Emergency Management at 940-349-8836 or michael.penaluna@cityofdenton.com.  City of Denton residents can also sign-up to receive free severe weather telephone notifications from CodeRED Weather Warn.  More information on CodeRED can be found at the link on the left side of this page. 

CodeRed Emergency Telephone Notification System
Click to register for CodeRED and CodeRED Weather Warning

Note: CodeRED and CodeRED Weather Warning are available to City of Denton residents, businesses, and schools.  You must have a City of Denton street address in order for the system to issue the proper notices. 

If you wish to unsubscribe from the CodeRED Weather Warning feature, you must call CodeRED Customer Service at 800-566-9780, preferably from the telepone you want to unsubscribe from the service, and follow the automated prompts.  

To learn how you can prepare for disasters, link to www.KnoWhat2do.com, your one-stop site for emergency preparedness information for the City of Denton.


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Michael A. Penaluna, CEM
Emergency Management Coordinator
michael.penaluna@cityofdenton.com