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Calif. fire chief defends sending alert for charity pancake event

The system, known as AlertSCC, sent messages to 27,000 people by phone, text and email about the charity breakfast; the alert is intended for floods, fires, earthquakes and major crimes

NBC Bay Area

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Palo Alto’s fire chief is defending his agency’s use of a countywide emergency alert system intended for floods, fires, earthquakes and major crimes to text residents information about a charity pancake breakfast.

The system, known as AlertSCC, sent messages to 27,000 people - by phone, text and email - in Northern California’s Santa Clara County about Saturday’s charity event at a park in Palo Alto.

The event was intended to raise money for a city effort to prevent teen suicides, and it ended up garnering $10,000. The breakfast - situated in the heart of high-tech Silicon Valley - drew high-profile guests including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife and Yahoo President and CEO Marissa Mayer and her son.

Full story: Palo Alto Fire Chief Defends Sending Alert for Charity Pancake Event