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Butte County approves $275,000 from PG&E settlement to expand Alert FM rural emergency alerts
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Summary
The Board approved a $275,000 allocation from PG&E settlement funds to extend a five‑year contract with Global Security Systems for Alert FM receivers, adding two transmitter sites to improve coverage in foothill and remote communities.
The Butte County Board of Supervisors voted Dec. 16 to use $275,000 from PG&E settlement funds to extend a five‑year contract with Global Security Systems for the Alert FM emergency‑alert system.
Sheriff Corey Hoehne told the board that Alert FM transmits emergency alerts over FM radio frequencies to receivers used in areas where cellular service is unreliable, naming Butte Meadows, Forbestown and Clipper Mills as examples. The extension would cover the county’s five existing Alert FM sites and add two more to improve coverage in foothill and more remote areas.
Lieutenant Beller, the county’s emergency management lieutenant, confirmed the system’s role as a redundant notification platform that residents can carry with them if they evacuate. Supervisors asked whether nearby jurisdictions — including the Town of Paradise — could share tower costs; the sheriff said he would inquire.
Sheriff Hoehne also urged residents to sign up for Butte emergency alerts via the sheriff’s office website after a separate vendor (Code Red) suffered a data breach. The board received no public comment opposing the request and passed the funding allocation.
What’s next: staff will execute the budget amendment and move forward with the five‑year contract extension for the Alert FM system; the sheriff’s office will continue outreach encouraging resident sign‑ups for county alert systems.
