Cal Fire

Sacramento, CA - In an era of technology-driven communication, CAL FIRE is using the latest tools and social media sites to help keep the public informed during major emergencies. Californians looking for incident information can receive updates through sites like Facebook and Twitter, videos through YouTube, and even text messages sent right to their cell phones.

“When CAL FIRE is at the scene of a wildfire, keeping the public and media updated is a top priority for us,” said Janet Upton, CAL FIRE’s Deputy Director of Communications. “Using the latest technologies allows us to keep the public up to date on what’s happening and give us more ways to provide valuable information on how to prepare their homes and families well in advance of a fire.”

While the internet has led to an increase in available information, it’s important to ensure the sites distributing information are official. There are numerous social media accounts that use the CAL FIRE name or who present themselves as official sources, but they are often run by individuals not associated with CAL FIRE or a fire department. Below are CAL FIRE’s official social media accounts.

Twitter – Official Account - @CAL_FIRE
Department Information Officer Daniel Berlant - @CALFIRE_PIO
CAL FIRE Director Ken Pimlott - @CALFIRE_Chief
Riverside Unit / Riverside County Fire - @CALFIRERRU
San Diego Unit - @CALFIRESANDIEGO
Fresno-Kings Unit / Fresno County Fire – @FresnoCoFire
San Luis Obispo Unit / SLO County Fire – @CALFIRE_SLO
San Bernardino Unit - @CALFIREBDU
San Benito / Monterrey Unit - @CALFIREBEU

Facebook – Search for CAL FIRE

Youtube – www.YouTube.com/CALFIRETV

SMS Text Messages – To subscribe text: “follow @CAL_FIRE” to 40404. The alerts are free, but standard text messaging rates do apply.

While the number of users on social media sites has increased, the public can still receive information from the CAL FIRE website, www.fire.ca.gov. In February the department launched a mobile webpage version allowing easy access to incident information on smartphones.