Los Alamos County to test emergency alert system Friday, urge sign-ups

When wildfire smoke, a severe-weather threat or a traffic incident hits Los Alamos County, the emergency alert on a phone can be the difference between a fast response and a missed warning. That is why Los Alamos County Emergency Management will test its Everbridge notification system Friday, April 24, at 12:00 PM, with officials urging residents to make sure they are enrolled before the message goes out.

The test alert will go to registered users by text message, email and or phone call, depending on the preferences they selected in Everbridge. County officials said the message will be clearly labeled as a test and will not require any action. Even so, the exercise is meant to do more than prove the system works. It is designed to confirm the reliability and effectiveness of the county’s emergency communications and to help the public recognize how official alerts will appear when a real emergency is unfolding.

Residents who do not receive the test are being asked to confirm their registration and check their contact preferences. The county says people can sign up by texting LOSALAMOS to 888777. Officials want that step taken now, before the county is forced to use the system for a real incident involving wildfire, severe weather, a traffic crash or another public safety event.

Everbridge replaced the county’s previous alert platform, CodeRED, when Los Alamos County launched the new system on March 3, 2026. Emergency Management Commander Beverley Simpson said the transition came after careful evaluation, with safety, security and privacy treated as the county’s highest priorities. The county also said it discontinued CodeRED after a security incident raised data-protection concerns.

To widen the net in an emergency, Los Alamos County said it keeps backup ways to reach people, including direct notifications to known CodeRED contacts and landlines, broadcasts on 1610 AM radio and updates through county communication channels. Officials said alerts from Everbridge will come from 88911, and they want residents to read those messages in full because they may contain critical instructions and updates.

The county says the alert system is intended for people who live, work, go to school or recreate in Los Alamos County, a reminder that the network is meant to reach more than full-time homeowners. In a county where response time matters and fire risk remains part of daily planning, the April 24 test is a practical check on a tool that is only useful if residents are already signed up and their information is current.