North Monterey County Firefighters

09/20/2026

Good morning North County. We want to reach out and address Friday’s events. We understand the frustration expressed by our community following the re-ignition of batteries at Moss Landing. For many, it felt like Groundhog Day, with shelter-in-place orders once again becoming necessary. That decision was made out of an abundance of caution for the public while the situation was being assessed. Our job is to mitigate hazards to the best of our knowledge, skills, technology/equipment, and abilities. The technology and engineering behind these operations are volatile, dynamic, and clearly hot beds for discussions. We understand the strong opinions people have about it.

As our Fire Chief Jess Cortez stated in an update shared by local news organizations, the batteries that ignited were remnants from the previous fire in January 2025. There is still significant cleanup that needs to take place and the possibility of batteries re-igniting can continue during that process. The building suffered substantial damage in the January fires and must be carefully navigated during battery removal operations.

A little bit of information on batteries - the “State of Charge,” or SOC, is an important factor when discussing battery risk. A higher state of charge means more energy is stored in the battery. Battery behavior and risk, however, also depends on factors such as quantity, chemistry, construction, condition, and the circumstances surrounding the battery. To stop the spread of incorrect information, we want to be clear: No new batteries have been installed, and none of the batteries in the affected building are operating.

Our continued commitment to emergency responses within the district and beyond remains unchanged.

09/18/2026

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, at approximately 12:45 pm, CHP officers responded to a traffic crash on Castroville Boulevard east of Manzanita Circle, in Monterey County.

Preliminary investigation indicates an adult male was driving a Toyota pickup westbound on Castroville Boulevard east Manzanita Circle, with a passenger, a 54-year-old female resident from Salinas, CA. At this time, the age and city of residence for the male driver is not yet confirmed.

For reasons still under investigation, the Toyota pickup traveled to the left where it left the road and crashed into a tree.

The driver and passenger of the Toyota pickup were transported to a local hospital with suspected major injuries. The driver later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at a local hospital by medical personnel. The identity of the deceased will be released by the Monterey County Coroner’s Office once the next of kin has been notified. It is unknown at this time if alcohol or drugs were a factor in this crash.

Anyone with information about this crash is asked to call the CHP at (831) 770-8000.

09/16/2026

Our final team on the Big Sur fires returned over the weekend. XMY REMS was dedicated to assisting hand crews and other line personnel in the incredibly treacherous terrain as they worked to hold control lines. All units, including the Type 3 team that returned the week prior, were placed back into service with supplies, fuel, and a little scrub love! We would like to give a huge thank you to the services and people in Big Sur that *safely* maintained businesses supporting firefighters throughout the extended operations.

With that being said, we want to highlight the continued importance of having a plan in case of emergencies in North County. Enacting that plan and evacuating so crews can focus on protecting structures rather than life safety, giving us the best chance to protect our community.

A couple of days of heat combine with a bad wind event could devastate us, not too dissimilar to the Palisades, Paradise, and Camp fires. Maintain your properties, have a plan, and be prepared.

A great guide for public education on this topic can be found through CALFIRE’s Get Ready To Go program here —> https://www.fire.ca.gov/prepare/get-ready-to-go.

08/31/2026

We apologize for the lack of posts lately. We’ve hired several new reserve and full time firefighters, experienced significant retirements, and had a very busy summer training and conducting defensible space inspections.

With that being said, let’s talk about the Timber and Plaskett fires. We currently have resources deployed, but that started more than a month ago with the Gann fire. 4 firefighters deployed in our Type 3 wildland engine as part of an OES strike team - identified as 0804C. This team consists of 3 CDCR (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) engines, one Monterey City engine, and us. However, the Gann fire was quickly contained. Our resources redeployed 3 more times in a span of 4 days to Southern California, back to east of Paso Robles, eventually ending at the Timber Fire where they remained. Hard work was put in helping establish control lines with tools and hose. The crews worked for a full 21 day deployment before cycling out for fresh personnel. This new rotation of personnel has assisted with firing operations along Highway 1 as containment lines have been strengthened. That is where our resources remain currently, but as the Plaskett becomes a bigger fire and threat, there is always a chance of moving south for a redeployment.

Additionally, a member of our USAR team was assigned with equipment and partnering agencies as a rescue and support team for the Plaskett known as REMS. They are tasked with assisting during technical rescue and significant medical emergencies along their assigned divisions.

Despite all this, know that we still have fully staffed stations ready to serve our own communities! We will continue to do our best to update you as crews put more time into the incidents.

01/19/2026

On to our 2nd recent retiree, but no less important! Congratulations Captain Aaron Daniels as he completed service with the North County Fire Protection District this past December.

He began his fire service journey in December 1993, starting as a Reserve Firefighter with North County Fire Protection District. After spending years establishing himself with the department, he was offered a full-time job in February 2004. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2019 and again to Captain in 2021.

Through his service and various roles, Captain Daniels continued to rise as a leader within the organization. To name just a few roles, and by that we mean the laundry list and kitchen sink, he was involved in USAR, Honor Guard, Safety and SCBA (our lifeline in fires) committees, Probationary firefighter training/testing/evaluation, and CPR.

Through these positions, Captain Daniels shaped the careers of countless firefighters, supported department operations, and strengthened the culture of service for future generations. As with most of our senior staff, we cannot stress enough the importance of the family support they received through it all.

Captain Aaron Daniels, thank you for your years of honorable service and enjoy hitting the links!

01/10/2026

01/01/2026

Good morning North County!

It’s that bittersweet time of year where we get to say farewell to some long term valued members of the department as they set off for retirement. We had 2 this past month that we are going to highlight.

The first is our venerable Captain Smith. He started in June 1991 with North County and held his title as Captain for the past 18 years.

Within the department, he helped found the Tactical Rescue Team, or TRT, which later morphed into what we know now as Monterey County USAR. He also acted as the lead Auto Extrication Instructor for 20+ years and hosted two classes a year through MPC’s Fire Academy, teaching hundreds of local, state, and nationwide firefighters. NCD boasts one of the best part-time firefighter programs in the area, and he was influential in leading and training….

But Captain Smith was a man of many hats. From elected school boards to working as a member at his local volunteer fire department (simultaneously with NCD), he was never at rest and vocal about his desire to better those around him.

As with our next Captain spotlight, enough could not be said about the support and love from their families. Captain Smith, alongside his wife, raised 2 wonderful daughters who are well into their own professional careers.

Congratulations Captain on your retirement. We will constantly reflect on your success and impact on North County Fire and their residents!