The controversial new protein at a major food chain. Why the producers may not be meeting quality standards. Thank you for joining us. For the next 30 minutes we investigate. What does that mean . It means investigation that gets results, following your tax dollars and holding the powerful accountable. We begin tonight with an internal telling memo about pg e and its critical sub stations a memo the Company Never thought you would see from pg es director of corporate security. And we investigate why it contradicts exactly what she told our cameras just weeks before she wrote it. You want to keep the public safe day off night seven days a week. Together were building a better california. Our commitment is to spend 100 million over the next three years. Publicly pg e has worked to build confidence in its commitment to safety and security. To make sure those facilities are hardened and that were doing the very best job we can do to make sure our customers have very quality affordable energy. Privately, much different in this internal memo. Wow, really clearly states that theyre not capable at that point to meet the Security Standards that are necessary. State senator jerry hill reviewed the memo provided to nbc bay area by informed sources from inside pg e. It calls into question their integrity. As we move forward they have said theyre going to change. They have committed to changing but they havent changed. Before we get into the details of the memo, its important to understand the timeline. First, in april of 2013 gunmen attacked the substation destroying transformers causing 25 million in damage with the potential to black out much of silicon valley. Trying to get now to a large substation in the central valley. Then last july an nbc bay area investigation had 14 visited to substations in california reporting to increase the security. Our report includes a military vet with two decades of special ops training. Guys who train like you, what could be done how long would it take . It could be repeated at different sites in less than 15 minutes. Reporter then in august of last year a Second Security breach at the met cap substation this time the intruders stole expensive equipment and were not detected for more than 15 hours. It was an indictment of the utilitys claim of enhanced security. Do you think that pg e has done enough now to make the area secure . We have done everything we can. Reporter she made that statement, just 12 days after the interview just a week after the Second Security breach at met calf on august 30 pg es director of security wrote this memo to pg e president chris johns. Including, the physical security infrastructure of pg e has plenty of work to be done. And she wrote, in reality, pg e is years away from a healthy and robust physical security posture. Her written words stand in stark contrast to what douglas told us 12 days before she wrote that memo. Would you call pg es security right now high level security . Yes, for our critical security we have high level security. Reporter in the memo douglas writes they cannot firm firmly account for what security assets are in place. And the Companies Security structure is an assortment of technologies, many of them outdated. She adds i would consider them to be in a fail mode. Information in the memo now helps to explain why pg e couldnt answer this key question last year. Can you tell us where you have been . I do know a couple of places you have been. And i know that you have been visiting some of our sites at night. That is part of our test here. Can you tell us when and where . Tony ill give you some ideas. Theyre still speaking out of both sides of their mouth. Senior jerry hill called for greater accountability and security at pg e substations. We work every day to make sure our security is my place so we dont have another met calf. After reading this memo was she telling the truth . Clearly, she didnt tell us the facts of the situation. Reporter the memo also included it continues to be slow piecemeal and uncertain. We risk having security and gaps for some time before the issue is resolved. We dont have years for security. This could be drastic and devastating for our security and many peoples lives if we lose some of these substation. What do you say to the insiders who trusted us with this information that wanted it to become public . Two words. Thank you. Now, we requested a new interview with pg es director of security. She declined instead sending a detail on the memo that includes more funding and staffing for security and monthly security reviews for senior staffers. Since the memo pg e is pointing to significant upgrades at met calf including a barrier wall and deterrent systems and improved lighting. Changes, certainly, but no explanation for the contradiction in public statements and the reality painted in that memo. Coming up next . At least four sides, going to play them all. Can you tell me how you do that . I dont know. We investigate emergency resources at silicon valleys growing airport. The question is is san jose prepared for an emergency like the asiana crash . That is next. Nd a lot of time online around here. But with all this speed from xfinity, its all good. Hey, why dont we do some homework for a change . Gary, you too. Dad. Work stuff. Yes lovin the new design konichiwa hirosan. Five minutes. All this speed is very empowering. Check out the new hardware. With the Fastest Internet available, xfinity is perfect for people who need to get a lot done at home. And now you can go even faster. Weve just increased the speeds on two of our most popular plans. Unit, call our tip line at 888996tips or send us an email to theunit nbcbayarea. Com. Tony when an asiana plane crashed 2 years ago at sfo it was a terrifying sight. The ntsb credited the firefighter Staffing Levelskovaleski, kovalesk. When an asiana plane crashed two years ago at sfo it was a terrifying sight. The ntsb credited the Staffing Levels and Quick Response with saving lives. So tonight, we investigate what if a similar crash happened at silicon valleys airport. Is san jose prepared . Senior investigator steven stock has our report. I need you to bring in the medical gear. Reporter video from a firefighters helmet camera gives an upclose look of the crash at sfo. But it also shows the incredible and immediate action of the First Responders there. They all shared a First Experience of initial impact. Reporter the ntsb investigation credited the San FranciscoFire Department as being quote, instrumental in responding so quickly and saving lives. There seems to be two large openings. Reporter sffd had firefighters on the crash within minutes, the first vehicle there within three minutes. So we wanted to know just how prepared is the Fire Department at silicon valleys airport in case of a similar disaster here. We compared data from ten other major airports listed by the faa as similar in size and passenger traffic to san jose international. What we found, san jose had the fewest number of firefighters on duty at any time at the airport. Sjc has only three firefighters and a captain. Compare that to san jose or pittsburg with 15 firefighters and a chief officer. I think it is inadequate. Reporter john karr and less olmonds developed a training manual used by airports. They used it for the airport in manetta before creating their own consulting business. Back then they say there were six firefighters per shift. Now only four. I would like to see two more firefighters out at the airport, i think they would be more effective. Reporter but san jose is not breaking rules. That is because while they mandate they have the firefighters they dont require a minimum number to be on duty. The faa says its good enough, the Fire Department is here and responding. We have these people on site theyre very well trained, they train and drill. They know what theyre doing. You conform to all faa requirements . Correct. But if there was a 767 that went down with a declared emergency, is there enough Emergency Personnel on scene to adequately respond to an emergency such as asiana here at sjc . Absolutely we have enough. No doubt about it . No doubt. Would i like more resources . Absolutely. He oversees the operation including station 20 at the airport. The speed at which we can achieve our operational objectives certainly has been affected by a reduction in personnel. Reporter do the math, two of the four firefighters on duty would be driving the two firefighting trucks there. The emergency plan calls for the captain to direct the scene and issue order ss, so what is left . What is left is a firefighter. Reporter one firefighter, one guy to help with the evacuation and rescue of those who survive any crash. Its simple math. You have an airplane that carries 250 people. At least four on one side four on the other. That leaves one person to man these eight flights. Can you tell me how you do that . I dont know. Reporter san jose manettas airport emergency plan also calls for backups to arrive and help out. But this memo shows the average time to get to the fence outside the airport is eight to 11 minutes. According to the ntsb at that same point in time after the asiana crash, firefighters had already evacuated all the passengers. Yeah its a big challenge. All the equipment has to get to the airport. Then they have to get in the fence, and then be escorted to the scene. When i was there they didnt have runway hydrants. They still dont. They dont . Right now there are no active hydrants at the airport, near the runways. Of the ten airports we compared to san jose only ten others didnt have hydrants. At sjc, the nearest hydrants are located at the edge of the field or at the gate where the airplanes park more than a thousand feet from the center of the runway. In a crash at the runway, you dont want the vehicles to leave the scene to go resupply with water. Reporter the director said they chose not to install the hydrants during the runway reconstruction. I think we have a great water effort all the way on the air field. Im confident they know what theyre doing and will be able to handle the fires. You wish you had more personnel . Wish is a difficult word to respond to the but respond to, but ill tell you they have responded to the additional request for personnel and is up for vote by the council. We do believe we are delivering the services that are required here at the air field. Could use some enhanced resources. But the most recent budget this year did not include any firefighting positions at the airport. Now, we also talked to several pilots who fly in and out of the airport regularly. Including one they sent our way. All said they were nervous about having so few firefighters on hand in the event something goes wrong. Coming up next is it a pet or a protein . The new white meat that may not meet one grocers standards. We take you inside the inspection reports next. Unit, call our tip line at 888996tips or send us an email to theunit nbcbayarea. Com. Tony its a high end market with a unique problem. When whole foods decided to sell rabbit meat, the decision set off a fierce debate. If a high end market with a unique problem, when they started to sell rabbit meat they started a fierce debate. Is the meat meeting the standard whole foods has promised . Investigative reporter vicki nguyen reports. Reporter fresh and frozen a new white meat is available at whole foods across the country. Whole foods started to sell rabbit meat last summer in seven out of its 11 regions in the united states, including northern california. These are already exploited animals that we hold dear. Reporter tara baxter does not mince words when she describes the decision. I expected more from whole foods, i have rescued rabbits. Reporter more of the pain that she considers the animal headless, she considers it a trendsetting problem. They created a demand for the meat. That is happening across the grocery stores. Theyre all going to try to sell the meat. Reporter this group created this network to educate consumers for rabbit meat and cruelty. They want to end the sales. It is atrocious that they decide to sell a domestic pet meat in their case. Reporter this is among the 2. 3 million pet rabbits living in u. S. Homes, according to the Largest National pet ownership survey rabbits are the fifth most common pets. They bond for life with humans. Reporter what makes a pet versus the protein source is not the only issue. Rabbit advocates also have a beef with the way these animals go from farm to tables. Theyre farming these animals in a state where its illegal for people to actually go and get foot ageage of how the animals are being raised. Reporter she is referring to socalled ad gag laws of people who take photos without consent. Iowa is one of those states. And its the source of the rabbits sold at whole foods across the bay area. Through a federal records request we obtained the usda inspection reports for the iowa rabbits. Records showed the number of rabbits dead in the yard and dead on arrival before they were slaughtered. The numbers range from 0 some days and 38 dead on arrival on a single day in july. That is a red flag for us. Reporter the government doesnt have a set date and they declined to tell us more. Inspection reports reveal the usda sent out a letter of caution, warning them for sending out the meat improperly labelled by usda, when they were not. That prompted a voluntary recall. They found fecal smears and skinned rabbits routinely coming into contact with unskinned rabbits which often had grossly contaminated pelts. According to whole foods farm meat and quality standards, no crates cages or tetherss are permitted. But they noted wet rabbits in crates noting this is a concern as a welfare issue and as a clean issue. Food and water are always available for its rabbits, but inspectors found rabbits overnighted in crates during cold weather, had no access to water because the water sources tended to freeze. Theyre factory farmed like any other animal. Reporter iowa rabbit said any products sold bearing the inspection mark assures that the rabbits were closely inspected. We work closely with the usda to make sure the standards are met. Records are incomplete because they only contain observations made by usda but do not contain the actions taken by our company. But when we asked what the actions were the company did not respond. When we return our investigation continues. The context of this is slaughtering animals. Inside from a food safety expert when we return. Unit, call our tip line at 888996tips or send us an email to theunit nbcbayarea. Com. Tony we continue now looking into the controversy surrounding rabbit meat. The Investigative Unit found inspection records that reveal we continue now looking into the controversy surrounding rabbit meat. The Investigative Unit found inspection record that is reveal the rabbit suppliers may not achieve the standards whole foods promises its customers. Investigative reporter vicki nguyen has more. Reporter rich larsen has taught courses on Food Sanitation since 1995. When it comes to usda standards, larsen says what is happening at the company is not unusual. The context is slaughtering animals. And fecal matter is just what is part of what is going to be present in that process. To keep it from getting to the consumer is a concern. What i saw was an ongoing issue. Reporter larsen says in the restaurant meat . Rabbit is not a popular meat among consumers. Reporter whole food said the reason they started to sell the rabbit meat was demand. For many years, they say lots of customers request that we carry rabbit. But what continues to be an internal investigation reveals another story. A snap shot of sales showed that stores sold an average of 5. 8 rabbits per week per store. Whole foods declined our interview request. Meanwhile, a petition to get whole foods to stop selling rabbits has collected more than 40,000 signatures. Come here. Reporter people hoping to change the mind of those at the top of the food chain at this national grocer. Whole foods is coming up on the oneyear anniversary of this Pilot Program selling rabbit meat. It is not clear if the company will continue offering the product. But feedback from customers prompted another grocery chain, sprouts, to stop selling rabbit meat. Well, if you have a story for us we invite you to call our tip line or send an email to the unit nbcbayarea. Com. Finally, we thank you for tuning in tonight. If youre a fan of Investigative Journalism we invite you to join us on nbc bay area on tv and on the web. We invite you to investigate. Im tony kovaleski. Tonight, documentary about the dreamers of [music] peter coyote it was called the valley of hearts delight, a stretch of ground so fertile it rivaled the best agricultural regions on earth. In the first half of the 20th century, the Santa Clara Valley was the Global Leader in canned and dried fruits. Valley apricots were so valuable, they were individually wrapped in special paper before being shipped to the finest restaurants in france. And it was the prune capital