Santa Cruz County Public Safety Articles

Last November, the Scotts Valley Fire Protection District asked Scotts Valley voters to approve a bond to build a new southside fire station and provide a better defense against wildfires. The measure lost by just 12 votes, leaving the district …

Central Fire District Station 1 is on 17th Avenue. Central Fire leaders have placed a bond measure on the Nov. 5 ballot. (Nik Altenberg — Santa Cruz Local)
SANTA CRUZ >> Voters in the Central Fire District of Santa Cruz …

Since 1935, Felton Fire Protection District (FFPD) has had a storied history of excellence in its care for the community and engagement with its constituents.

Later this year, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency (PRFMA) will start construction of its $600 million Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project, a long overdue effort to improve levees along the …

What does it mean when firefighters call a fire "contained?" Here's a brief guide to commonly used fire prevention terminology.

The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation develops partnerships to prepare and respond to emergencies with its COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster).

Residents of a Watsonville neighborhood are pushing back against a proposed housing project meant to help homeless people staying along the Pajaro River levee. They say that local officials have ignored their concerns over crime and safety and are moving …

Last Sunday, July 21, Roaring Camp Railroads in Felton played host to nearly 200 people who attended the Santa Cruz Mountains Firewise Festival.

A fire that grew to a half-acre in the Santa Cruz Mountains was extinguished quickly Friday morning before it could threaten the nearby communities of Boulder Creek and Brookdale, authorities said.

The Forest Lakes Neighborhood Firewise and Safety Association presented a showing of “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire” on June 26 at the Scotts Valley Community Theater.

Santa Cruz County voters on Nov. 5 will consider a parcel tax for county, city and nonprofit projects to help reduce the risks of wildfires, floods and other catastrophes fueled by climate change. Charred hills are shown near Davenport after …

Traffic on state Highway 9, north of Boulder Creek, in Santa Cruz County, was reopened to one-way traffic on July 4 after the highway was briefly closed because of a traffic collision that set a power pole ablaze, causing a …

Riverside Drive was closed to traffic and two homes were evacuated Wednesday afternoon between Union  Street and Marchant Street after construction crews ruptured a natural gas line.

Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties may have been exposed to measles in recent days after an infected person from outside the region visited, according to public health officials.

A fast moving brush fire charged up a steep hillside on South Green Valley Rd. Near Melwood Way Friday just past noon. Watsonville Fire Capt. Corey Div. Chief said the blaze torched about 75 feet of a 6 foot wood …

For years, the motto of the Boulder Creek Fire Protection District (BCFPD) has been, “Yours when the siren sounds.” Now, residents of Boulder Creek can expect to hear that siren a little more regularly.

Surfnet Communications Inc., a leading internet service provider for underserved Central Coast communities, has been awarded $10 million by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for its new initiative to extend high-speed, fiber broadband services to rural communities in Santa …

Wildfire season is upon us and fires are up 9%. Cal Fire reports that "acres burned have skyrocketed by 1,462% (from 5,747 to 89,784 acres) compared to the same period last year (Jan 1 – Jun 19). 95% of these …

California wildfires are becoming larger, more frequent and more ferocious. ‘Malibu Burning’ author Robert Kerbeck shares simple steps you can take to protect your home.

By Julie Horner