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We at KNAU know that northern Arizona wildfire information is crucial to our listeners. This page is our comprehensive source for information about the 2014 wildfire season. Here you will find all the latest updates from area fire agencies and national forests as well as wildfire-oriented stories.For breaking news tips, call the KNAU newsroom at (928) 523-4912 or e-mail ryan.heinsius@nau.edu.

Coconino County To Test New Emergency Alert System

azwater.gov

Today, Coconino County will conduct a large-scale test of a new system that warns residents during emergencies. As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, officials are hoping it will be an effective replacement of the county’s old emergency system.

More than 40,000 people will receive phone calls today as part of Code Red. It replaces Ready Coconino, which county emergency officials say is outdated and cumbersome. According to the Arizona Daily Sun, the county stopped using Ready Coconino after receiving a number of complaints from residents who said the system failed during monsoon floods last year.

Code Red is designed to alert those in Coconino County to wildfire, snowstorms, thunderstorms and floods. It won’t make county-wide calls during emergency situations, but rather only contact those who could be affected based on where they live.

Officials are encouraging residents to sign up for the service now through the county’s website as an early and potentially dangerous fire season ramps up.

Local forest managers say wildfire danger is high in northern Arizona. Today, Coconino County and the cities Flagstaff and Prescott along with the Coconino, Kaibab, Tonto and Prescott national forests implemented Stage 1 fire restrictions. Next Tuesday, the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests will also put a ban in place.

Ryan Heinsius joined the KNAU newsroom as executive producer in 2013 and was named news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.
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