After a long 18 months of attempting to execute a follow-up event to its widely successful Kick Ash Bash following the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow, local nonprofit One805 has announced a smaller scale donor appreciation event, slated for September 18. The special event, which is limited to 350 people, will be held at […]
I came to the Montecito Association in September of 2018, brought over from the Coast Village Association by then-president Charlene Nagel. The Montecito community was hard hit by the first giga-fire in California – Thomas — and resultant Debris Flow. I had disaster recovery experience, from finding my missing parents in the aftermath of Hurricane […]
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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 […]
Those three little words… No. Not “I love you.” We do love you but we’re talking about: Ready! Set! Go! They are three little words that can make a life-or-death difference if you choose to take them seriously, now. What is a wildfire action plan and what does it mean for those of us in […]
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 […]
High fire season in Santa Barbara County started on May 3, with California coming off a record-setting year. According to the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council (SBCFSC), a total of 9,639 fires burned some 4.4 million acres of land, making 2020 the largest wildfire season recorded in the state’s modern history. The 2021 fire […]
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 […]
Residents in California have been waking up to apocalyptic orange skies caused by wildfires across the state. For a Thought Leader Series, we share a ProPublica article that dives deeper into solutions for reducing the severity of what many are now calling “megafires.” Tim Ingalsbee is a previous wildland firefighter who is frustrated with the […]
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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 […]
Last week was the candidate filing period deadline for many local elections, including the Montecito Fire Protection District and Montecito Water District boards of directors. This week marks the deadline period for both public schools in Montecito (Cold Spring School and Montecito Union), as well as for the Montecito Sanitary District board. At Montecito Fire […]
The Montecito Firefighters Charitable Foundation (MFCF) has donated two Automated External Defibrillator (AED) machines and response kits to Girls Inc. of Carpinteria. AED machines are portable, life-saving devices designed to treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. According to the FDA, the combination of CPR and early defibrillation is effective in saving lives when used in […]
As briefly mentioned in last week’s edition, construction began this week on additional repairs to roads and bridges affected by the Thomas Fire and the 1/9 debris flow. The projects, which the County announced last week, include the repair of 28 lane miles of road and the construction of a temporary bridge at the Cold […]
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 […]
