CALIFORNIA VALLEY, Calif- A company that is building one of the largest solar plants in the world has contracted with San Luis Obispo County to make sure residents and workers in the California Valley are safe!
First Solar's Topaz Solar Farm employs about 4-hundred people around high tech equipment. That's why the company has a policy that they have to have paramedic service available, but instead of just paying for the service for themselves, they have decided to partner with Cal Fire. Since this project began, tax money from the project has helped to staff the Carrizo Plaine Fire Station 7 days a week.
Under the new contract there will be 2 fire fighters and a paramedic on patrol every day. Cal Fire is also contracted to have a response time to an incident within 15 minutes, 95-percent of the time. This is all being funded by first solar.
Cal Fire Chief Robert Lewin, "this whole service is being paid for by first solar, that is building topaz solar farm they are paying about a half a million dollars to put a paramedic on the fire engine every day, and that paramedic is available to everyone who needs that paramedic service or fire engine service."
Chief Lewin adds the company will not receive any priority or exclusive right to service above any other resident. The contract with the county will be in place during the three year build.
