Placer County Public Safety Articles

The 2022 California wildfire season looks like another dangerous one, with the state's historic drought showing no signs of letting up. Here's what to expect, and some measures the state is taking to slow down the flames.

California is creating wildlife crossings that can help animals get across dangerous highways without risk of death from vehicle strikes. Here are five of them.

Tahoe’s wildfire season is now Locals have longed joked about Tahoe’s two seasons – winter and road construction. But now locals and visitors must live with the new reality that climate breakdown has wrought upon the beloved landscape of the …

Wildfires are a constant threat throughout the West and in the Tahoe Sierra during the dry months, especially when the snowpack is low. Being prepared for wildfires, understanding what Burn Bans and Red Flag warnings mean, and being prepared to …

Does Your Home Have Defensible Space? ~ Courtesy TRPA If a wildfire breaks out, will firefighters be able to save your home? Having defensible space around your home will mean the difference between whether firefighters can save your home or …

Boating, paddling and swimming season has begun on Lake Tahoe and at other local waterways, and it’s important to practice safety and understand boating laws in the high-altitude lakes in the region. Cold water shock | The water is cold; …

Courtesy Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team What began as a promising winter fizzled out in early 2022, leading to the driest January and February recorded across California and Nevada since record keeping began. Closer to home, Tahoe City, which has …

Following the K-Street shooting, a freelance journalist's thoughts about reporting on the deadliest single episode of gun violence in Sacramento history.

The modern gun control movement started in California. Surprisingly, it was the work of Ronald Regan and the Black Panther Party. Here’s what happened.

The North Tahoe Business Association and Tahoe City Downtown Association announced that its Independence Day celebrations will return this summer featuring drone shows instead of fireworks on July 3 in Kings Beach and July 4 in Tahoe City, citing noise …

Making it through the earthquake is the easy part. The hard part is surviving in the chaos that follows.

The wind is howling, snow is falling rapidly and there are white-out conditions with no visibility. A massive storm is thrashing the region. During these types of storms, awareness in the outdoors is critical. Getting lost in a storm is …

I love living in a beautiful mountain paradise. And, I get to live here, because of the visitors and vacation homeowners that choose to spend their vacations in the Tahoe Sierra. As much as we all enjoy having visitors travel …

Tahoe has seen record-breaking snowfall after an epic 214 inches of snow in December. Snow for most means it’s playtime in the mountains. Skiing, snowboarding or snowshoeing are just a few activities that make winter fun. The resorts are spinning …

In a nutshell, back-country travel means moving through any area that is not maintained or supervised by resorts or other entities. In the back country, your safety is 100 percent reliant on yourself and those with whom you are traveling. …

Though they are elected officials, county sheriffs have less accountability than any other law enforcement officials. Here's why, and what California is doing about it.

The climate change era has created a whole new set of terms for a wide variety of storms and other weather phenomena. Here are some of the most important.

California homicide spiked by 31 percent in 2020. The shocking increase has continued into 2021. Here are several theories that attempt to explain the state’s suddenly rising murder rate.

Take Care Tahoe presents the second annual Tahoe Backcountry Safety Awareness Week from Dec. 13 to 18 offering free, virtual and in-person educational sessions focused on back-country safety. In themed events, participants will learn about everything from why training matters …

Omicron is a new variant of the COVID-causing coronavirus that has now arrived in California and is causing fears of a new pandemic wave. What is it? Why are people so worried? And what, if anything, is California doing to …