Due to budget issues, the North Monterey County Fire Protection District says they will need to lay off 5 firefighters. Those lay-offs would go into effect at the beginning of the 2019-2020 fiscal year….which is this July 1st. Those lay-offs would need to be approved by the Monterey County Board Of Directors at their next meeting. In the meantime, officials with the North Monterey County Fire Protection District are encouraging community members to contact their local County Supervisors, to tell them how important it is to continue to maintain staffing for First Responders and Firefighters in that rural area.