alarm goes off, a major earthquake will hit this fire station and the community around it. at least it would if this weren t just a drill. every other national hazard has warnings issued for it. earthquakes don t. until now. thanks to a cutting edge technology, developed by a silicon valley startup, centers like these can detect the quake, 30 seconds to a minute before it hits. this fire station, doors roll up, for a school, an alarm might sound, teachers tell their kids to duck and cover, hospitals, maybe backup generator go own. go on. when the quake hits, an s wave wreaks havoc but the earlier p wave is hardly felt. this is what triggers the sensors which in turn sends out alerts to fire stations, schools and eventually peoples homes and businesses. this system would work miraculously for automated systems like getting garage doors open or shutting down commuter trains. reporter: jenna, a