City of Santa Barbara - Government - City Departments - Fire

City of Santa Barbara Fire Department

Firefighter Academy Graduation. On July 31st the City of Santa Barbara Fire Department and the Montecito Fire Protection District will honor 9 firefighter recruits on their completion of the twelve-week Fire Academy. This special occasion marks the 37th Fire Academy class completed at the City of Santa Barbara Fire Department Training Facility. This particular academy class is one of a number of combined academies that have been presented at the training facility. Combined academies have included Montecito Fire Protection District, Carpinteria Summerland Fire Protection District and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Because of the local fire agencies’ close working relationships combined academies are most beneficial. Many of our large incidents require mutual aid assistance. The academies presented give us the opportunity to work early on with local agencies to better serve the public. Long lasting relationships among firefighters are formed during this process. The twelve-week academy consists of: fire-ground safety, hose evolutions, search and rescue, auto extrication, physical training, aerial and ground ladders, wild land incidents, emergency medical, operation of specialized equipment. Many more subjects were presented during this period.
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Firefighters Alliance Fundraiser. The Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance is a local non-profit organization that has donated over $100,000 worth of specialized safety equipment to the City Fire Department over the last four years. Recently the Alliance held a very successful "Fire Ball," their annual fundraising event. The event proceeds will be used to purchase essential firefighting equipment for the department that will include fire curtains, which are designed to shield and protect firefighters inside the fire trucks from advancing heat and flames, should it become necessary.

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Update on Fire Station No. 1 Seismic Retrofit Project. On June 27^th, construction began at Fire Station No. 1 on Carrillo Street with the placement of a contractor’s trailer and site preparation, which will be followed by excavation for new water, sewer, and electrical service. By mid-August, firefighters will move into temporary quarters within trailers being placed on-site. Construction is scheduled to be completed by June 2009.

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Wildland Fire Suppression Benefit Assessment District Renewed. On June 17, 2008, the City Council renewed the benefit assessment district within the City’s high and extreme fire hazard zones, which was originally approved by the property owners in the area in 2006. This past year the fuel reduction work that was performed within the district resulted in significant improvements in the overall fire safety of the area. Over 14 miles of road clearance was completed (removing over 400 cubic yards of flammable vegetation), in addition to over 80 tons of tree and brush trimmings being chipped for the property owners within the district. The chipping effort resulted in 97% of the material being re-used as ground cover, leaving a nominal amount of vegetation (exotic pest plants such as ivy and scotch broom) needing to be hauled away as green waste. This wildland fire mitigation effort has been a great example of an effective private/public partnership, with individual property owners deserving much of the credit for assuming the responsibility of creating a defensible space around their homes.
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Have you done your part to allow firefighters the best chance to defend your home in the event of a wildfire? Take advantage of our FREE Voluntary Defensible Space Inspection Program available to anyone in the WFSBAD area.
Call 564-5737.

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boys swimming underwater in a pool

Summer Safety Tips
The City of Santa Barbara Fire Department wants everyone to enjoy the summer months. Click here for safety tips.
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Wood Chips: If you have any need for wood chips on your property please call Amber Anderson at the Fire Department, 564-5737.

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Santa Barbara City Fire now has a Child Passenger Safety Program! 80-90% of child safety seats are improperly installed. Our department now has certified installers available. Call 965-5254.

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