Tag archives: montecito fire department
Springtime in Montecito – the hills are green, the weather is beginning to warm, and there’s a new buzz in town. It’s the buzz of a chipping machine shredding cut branches and brush into a million tiny bits. Montecito Fire’s Neighborhood Chipping Program is back for its 13th year. It kicked off on Valentine’s Day […]
As we step into 2022, Montecito Fire would like to share with the community our 2021 Annual Report. In it, we detail our successes and challenges in all aspects of our organization, from day-to-day operations to wildfire prevention work and community engagement. We encourage you to learn more about your Montecito Fire Department by reading […]
Montecito always was a place of talent, care, resources, and community. There are a lot of smart, accomplished people making this beautiful place their home. It has also suffered its share of disaster, with the biggest fire in California history at the time — the Thomas Fire in December 2017. That fire has now dropped […]
The South Coast experienced its first, and hopefully only, significant wildland fire of the 2021 fire season last week. The Alisal Fire started above Refugio, along West Camino Cielo, at about 2 pm on October 11. It was propelled by powerful downcanyon winds — what are locally referred to as “sundowners.” Additionally, much of the […]
Thank you to everyone who cut back overgrown vegetation to make your community safer from future wildfires. Thank you for hauling your branches and brush to the curb, for welcoming our chipping crews to your neighborhood and for taking initiative to protect your home ahead of fire season. Now in its 22nd year, Montecito Fire’s […]
It’s America’s birthday party and what could be more celebratory than shooting off fireworks?! But no one will be celebrating if those fireworks spark a fire. Fourth of July in Montecito is a celebration of our great nation’s independence and, our community’s independence from all fireworks. The manufacturing, storage, sale, handling, and use of all […]
High fire season is officially underway for the South Coast. It’s easy to feel worried when looking at the parched brush, dramatically lacking rainfall totals, and concerning forecasts for warmer temperatures and impending sundowner winds. However, worry is not an effective method for survival. Instead, your Montecito Fire Department is focused on educating and preparing […]
As spring nears an end, many of us look forward to warmer weather, backyard barbeques, lazy beach days, and the innate relaxation of the summer season. Yet, the transition to summer comes with a layer of uneasy anticipation. After studying fuel conditions and weather predictions, the local fire jurisdictions of Santa Barbara County have declared […]
Also happening at MFPD, Montecito Fire Division Chief of Operations, Alan Widling, is set to retire on December 30. The #2 in command at MFPD, Chief Widling has worked the last 31 years of his life in the service of others. Widling was hired as a full-time firefighter by the Montecito Fire Department in September […]
This Thursday, December 17, the Montecito Fire Department, in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), the Carpinteria Summerland Fire Protection District, and First District Supervisor Das Williams will host a virtual community meeting to provide winter preparedness information and to publicly release the updated Interactive Storm Impact Consideration Risk Map. […]
As record-breaking wildfires affect millions of people across the state of California, we recently sat down with Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor, who has been at the helm of the District for one year. From getting to know Chief Taylor and his family better, to learning about Montecito’s future fire and debris flow risk, we […]
Back in January, a standing-room-only crowd filled Montecito Union School’s auditorium for an update on what to expect this year in terms of both fire and rain. The message was exactly what residents were hoping to hear. First, a lower than average chance of the kind of rain events that could lead to another debris […]
When I first met Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor last year, I remember asking him what the biggest challenge was facing his department. “The weather,” he told me, quickly adding that the sheer unpredictability of Montecito’s weather threats, be they fire or rain, made his job uniquely worrisome. This week, I caught up with Taylor […]
Based on the rush of emergency supply hoarding that has gone on for the past few weeks, it seems reasonable to suggest that most Montecito residents weren’t exactly prepared for the COVID-19 crisis when it first hit two weeks ago. Fortunately for us, the Montecito Fire Department (MFD) has been preparing for the event for […]
The Wildfire Mitigation Awards committee has named the three recipients of this year’s Wildfire Mitigation Awards. These individuals and organizations have earned the highest commendation for innovation and leadership in wildfire mitigation for their outstanding dedication to solving many of the most complex challenges posed by wildfire; Montecito Fire Department joins Tri-Lakes United Methodist Church […]
As much as my husband, Bob, and I love all our local firefighters, we have a special feeling for this particular member of the team, the reason for which will be revealed as you read down to the finish of the article. Blake was born and raised in Moorpark, California. His single mother, an emergency […]
On Tuesday, December 10, the Montecito Fire Protection District marked the retirement of Communications Coordinator Jackie Jenkins, who served MFPD for 21 years. Jenkins began in Public Safety on April 1, 1980, at California State Parks, Pt. Mugu as an YCC Crew Member. At the same agency, Jackie continued as lifeguard and seasonal Ranger until […]
A question one often hears in Montecito this summer involves home real estate values within the dreaded “red zone.” Those currently in the red zone, whose homes were untouched by the 1/9 debris flow, ask how can they have their homes removed from the punitive evacuation red zone. To better understand the “red zone” and […]
Next Thursday, December 5, Montecito Fire Department, in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Carpinteria Summerland Fire Protection District, and 1st District Supervisor Das Williams, invites the public to attend a community informational meeting in advance of the winter storm season. The purpose of this community meeting is to publicly […]
The Montecito Emergency Recovery and Response Group (MERRAG) graduated their first ever community volunteers with CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) certificates on Saturday, November 9. The Montecito Fire Department hosted the intensive 20-hour course. The CERT program educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic […]
