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SALINAS, Calif.- A Central Coast fire that wiped out thousands of acres more than four years ago did have some positive affects on public safety in Monterey County. We're talking about the Big Sur Basin Complex fire in 2008.
Monterey County paid for access to a mass communication system, allowing emergency services to share vital information with the public. Fire crews tell us it kept you informed during their battle with the fire that wiped out nearly 163 thousand acres. Now the Salinas Fire Department wants to make sure the system is here to stay.
The county had a grant through the California Office of Homeland Security to pay a portion of the cost to run the emergency notification system. But that grant ran out about two years ago.
Since then the county and twelve central coast cities and Cal State Monterey Bay have paid for the service. Next week the Salinas Fire Department plans to ask the city to make it permanent.
The system allows departments to send out public safety information when an emergency is happening near you by sending a message straight to your home phone. But you can also sign up to get the information on your cell phone or by email.
