The Santa Barbara County Fire Department (SBCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County, officially the County of Santa Barbara (), is a County (United States), county located in Southern California. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, California ...
, and for multiple cities within the county. Together, these areas compose the ''Santa Barbara County Fire Protection District''.
In addition to the
unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
s of Santa Barbara County, the department also services the communities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Isla Vista/ UCSB campus, Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, Los Alamos, Casmalia, Lompoc (via automatic aid agreement),
Solvang, New Cuyama, and
Buellton. In addition they cover parts of the Los Padres National Forest, The majority of the Santa Barbara Coastline, substantial open space reserves, and many private ranch communities. The Santa Barbara County fire Department is a ''contract county'' with the California State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Under the terms of the contract, the Fire Department is responsible for suppression of fires on SRA "State Responsibility Area" for CalFire.
The hills above Santa Barbara that comprise the
Santa Ynez Mountains
The Santa Ynez Mountains are a portion of the Transverse Ranges, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of the west coast of North America. It is the westernmost range in the Transverse Ranges.
The range is a large fault block of Cenozoic age created ...
are a unique challenge on the California coast as they cause an effect known as the
sundowner winds
A sundowner is a northerly offshore wind in California along the southern Pacific slope of Santa Ynez Mountains, in communities along the Gaviota Coast and Santa Barbara towards but not including Ventura County.
Formation
It occurs when a regio ...
, which are very similar to the
Santa Ana winds
The Santa Ana winds, occasionally referred to as the devil winds, are strong, extremely dry katabatic winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cool, dry high-pressure ...
seen in nearby
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana (Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As ...
.
History
The SBCFD was initially founded on April 5, 1926.
[ In 1974, Santa Barbara launched the paramedic program which placed trained paramedics at station 11 to work alongside the firefighters.
In 2020 (Effective 1/1/2020) Numbering Changes were made due to anticipated consolidation of regional dispatch services. For that, Station numbers 18, 22, 41 and 51 were changed to 38, 26, 27 and 34. Additional, overhead personnel and special units got new numbers and the auxiliary (reserve) engines were given 1xx series designations. There is a 3rd, "Central" Battalion now. Unknown, if this has been changed in the same timeslot.
]
Equipment
Type 1 Engine
Each of the 16 stations serviced by SBC FD are equipped with at least one Type 1 engine. The engines have the ability to pump 1,500 GPM and carry 500 gallons of water as well as 25 gallons of foam. For moving the water the engines carry over 2000 feet of hose in various diameters and over 100 feet of ladders. Each engine also has a set of the "Jaws of Life
Hydraulic rescue tools, also known as jaws of life, are used by emergency rescue personnel to assist in the extrication of victims involved in vehicle accidents or railway accidents and cutting large-sized debris of mild metal structures int ...
" as well as various other power tools, rescue gear and hand tools for both urban and brush fires. They also have medical equipment on board for medical responses.
Trucks
, Santa Barbara County has 3 aerial ladder trucks 1 front line located at Station 11 as well as an auxiliary ladder truck. The second truck is located at Station 30 in Solvang. The truck weighs and features a ladder and a pump that produces 1,250 GPM. The pump is connected to a nozzle at the top of the ladder allow water to be sprayed onto a fire from above. Besides being set up for fire fighting, the truck is also configured for technical, trench and confined space rescue responses and also has medical equipment for medical responses. Along with the standard ladders and hoses, the truck also carries cutting torch
Principle of burn cutting
Oxy-fuel welding (commonly called oxyacetylene welding, oxy welding, or gas welding in the United States) and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases (or liquid fuels such as gasoline or petrol, diesel, bio ...
es, chainsaw
A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable handheld power saw, power saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar.
Modern chainsaws are typically gasoline or electric and are used in activities such as t ...
s, ropes, air bag
An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate in milliseconds during a collision and then deflate afterwards. It consists of an airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. ...
s and various other tools. The truck automatically responds to all technical rescues, vehicle accidents and structure fires in Battalion 1.
Helicopters
The Santa Barbara County Air Support Unit (ASU) is made up of two Bell UH-1H "Huey"s. The helicopters are jointly operated by the Fire Department and the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office. Located at the Santa Ynez Airport adjacent to the Station 32, the ASU will often travel with a Rescue Paramedics from Station 32 when a medic is necessary. The helos are fitted for both hoisting of personnel for a rescue and for dropping of water during a fire. The underside can also be fitted with water dropping tanks that carry 320 gallons of water and have the ability to pump water from a reservoir or other water source or they can be filled on the ground with fire
hose.
In October 2020, Santa Barbara County announced that a 2004 Sikorsky HH-60L “Blackhawk” helicopter had been purchased and would go into service in 2021. The helicopter was purchased with County funds and Fundraising from Direct Relief International (DRI) that resulted in raising a total donation of $1,151,000.
In March 2022, United rotorcraft delivered the finished, modified H-60 "FireHawk" to Santa Barbara County. The modifications include a belly mounted water tank of approx. 1000 gals, new avionics, communications gear, rescue hoist and configuration for aeromedical evacuations. The modifications are similar to those made to LA County, Ventura, San Diego and CalFire H-60s.
Water Tenders
Santa Barbara County uses two different types of water tenders, two tactical and two supply units. The tactical units feature 4x4 capabilities and carry 1,500 gallons of water. They are specifically designed to carry water inside of a vegetation fire incident. These tenders are located at Station 22 in Orcutt and Station 32 in Santa Ynez
Santa Ynez ( ; Spanish for "St. Agnes", originally spelled ''Santa Inés'') is an unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States.
The population was 4,505 at the 2020 census, up from 4,418 a ...
. The supply units can carry 3,200 gallons of water to easily accessible areas. These are located at Station 18 in Gaviota and Station 41 in Cuyama.
Rescue Ambulance
The SBCFD has four Rescue Ambulances (RA) deployed around the county. Santa Barbara County was at the forefront of the firefighter/paramedic introduction to the industry. Although the primary Advanced Life Support
Advanced Life Support (ALS) is a set of life-saving protocols and skills that extend basic life support to further support the circulation and provide an open airway and adequate ventilation (breathing).
Components
Key aspects of ALS level care ...
(ALS) provider for the county is the private ambulance company American Medical Response (AMR), there are areas in which the county provides both dedicated ALS coverage and patient transport to hospital facility. The vehicles are based on the Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
modular-style ambulance outfitted with advanced life support capabilities. Cardiac Monitors and Defibrillators,Cardiac Drugs,Intubation and Airway Supplies and other equipment are carried on the Rescue Ambulances. There are a total of five RAs throughout the county, two are located at Station 17 servicing UC Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an independent teachers college, UCSB joined ...
, two are at Station 41 in New Cuyama and one is at Station 51 in Vandenberg Village. In addition to medical emergencies, the RA will also respond with an initial assignment to any structure fire
A structure fire is a fire involving the structural components of various types of residential, commercial or industrial buildings, such as barn fires. Residential buildings range from single-family detached homes and townhouses to apartments ...
or multi-engine calls.[
]
Stations and apparatus
Battalion 1
Battalion one, or South Battalion, consists of stations 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 17. Adjacent to station 11 is the office and quarters for the Battalion Chief
A battalion chief is the rank and title of a subordinate fire chief or commanding officer in the firefighting command structure. The title of battalion chief is usually synonymous with firefighting in the United States and Canada.Occupational Ou ...
serving Battalion 1. The designations for the South BC are 10 (A-shift), 12 (B-shift) and 14 (C-shift).
Battalion 2
Battalion two, or North Battalion, consists of stations 21, 23, 24, 26, and 27. Adjacent to Station 24 is the office and quarters for the Battalion Chief
A battalion chief is the rank and title of a subordinate fire chief or commanding officer in the firefighting command structure. The title of battalion chief is usually synonymous with firefighting in the United States and Canada.Occupational Ou ...
serving Battalion 2. The designations for the North BC are 11 (A-shift), 13 (B-shift) and 15 (C-shift).
Battalion 3
Battalion three, or Central Battalion, consists of stations 30, 31, 32, 34 and 38. The designations for the North BC are 16 (A-shift), 17 (B-shift) and 18 (C-shift).
Gallery
SantaBarbaraCountyFireBC514.jpg, Battalion Chief 514 oversees the drill.
SantaBarbaraCountyFireBC514-2.jpg, Battalion Chief 514 oversees the drill.
SantaBarbaraCountyFireEngine14.jpg, Engine 14
SantaBarbaraCountyFireTruck11Cab.jpg, Truck 11
SantaBarbaraCountyFireEngine14Wide.jpg, Engine 14
Notable Incidents
* Painted Cave Fire (June–July 1990)
*Zaca Fire
The Zaca Fire was a very large wildfire in the San Rafael Mountains, northeast of the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. It was the single largest wildfire of the 2007 California wildfire season. The fire started on July ...
(July–August 2007)
* Gap Fire (July 2008)
*Montecito Tea Fire
The Tea Fire, also known as the Montecito Tea Fire, was a wildfire that began on November 13, 2008, destroying 210 homes in the cities of Montecito, California, Montecito and Santa Barbara, California, in the United States of America. It was th ...
(November 2008)
*Jesusita Fire
The Jesusita Fire was a wildfire that started on May 5, 2009, in the hills of Santa Barbara, California in the western United States. By the time the fire was contained on May 18 it had burned , destroyed 80 homes and damaged 15 more before be ...
(May 2009)
*Sherpa Fire
The Sherpa Fire was a wildfire that burned in the Santa Ynez Mountains along the Gaviota Coast in the southwestern part of Santa Barbara County, California in June 2016. In a matter of hours the fire spread to over as the fire was propelled by ...
(June 2016)
* Rey Fire (August 2016)
Refugio oil spill
On May 19, 2015, the SBCFD responded around 11:40am to a report of a strong smell of oil coming from the area of Refugio State Beach
Refugio State Beach (Chumash: Qasil, "Beautiful") is a protected state beach park in California, United States, approximately west of Santa Barbara. One of three state parks along the Gaviota Coast, it is west of El Capitán State Beach.
T ...
. Crews found a ruptured line with crude oil
Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring u ...
running into the Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
. The department stated the spill went into a culvert that ran under the U.S. 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...
, and into the ocean.[ Representatives from Plains All American Pipeline stated that at the time of the spill the pipeline was operating at maximum capacity with a rate of .]
References
{{Authority control
County government agencies in California
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
Fire departments in California