Nearly two years after the Marshall Fire exposed gaps in Colorado’s emergency alert system, researchers are recommending statewide changes to make life-saving messages more consistent and accessible. A draft report by CU Boulder’s Natural Hazards Center cited 9NEWS’ reporting pointing to inconsistent alert systems and support across counties, and proposed statewide standards to improve how the state communicates in emergencies. “Colorado’s alert systems and processes are a patchwork of different practices that, while flexible, can also hinder consistent, inclusive alerts,” the draft report said. Emergency managers in Colorado use a handful of tools to share information, including social media, subscription-based alert systems that reach landlines and opted-in cell phones and the federal Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA), which reaches all cell phones in a given area through AMBER Alert-style messages.