Montecito Fire

It's time for #FireFamilyFriday! Meet your Montecito Firefighter Evan Hamaker! His buddies at the station will tell you he's the epitome of a hard worker and has a high-energy, fun-loving personality. His dream to become a firefighter, and specifically serve the community of Montecito, started when he was just a young Evan (way before the mustache!). He grew up in Santa Ynez & still calls the Valley home with his wife Katherine of 11 years and their 4 children. Throughout h...is high school & early college years, Evan did ride-alongs with many local fire departments to learn about the firefighting profession. After several ride-alongs with your Montecito Firefighters, he set a goal to one day join the department. He cut his teeth as a seasonal for the U.S. Forest Service for 2 years & worked with last week's #FireFamilyFriday spotlight, Jered Walberg, as a U.S. Forest Service - Los Padres National Forest Hotshot for 3 fire seasons. Evan went on to work for Santa Maria Fire Department for 5 years. As a Santa Maria firefighter, Evan came to help our community during the #ThomasFire and the debris flow. He joined the #MontecitoFireFamily in 2019 & says the most rewarding aspect of his job is helping communities facing wildfire. "I love that Montecito Fire is so proactive about going to wildfires," he said. "Wildland firefighting is my background so that's when I feel like I'm able to make the biggest impact." On his days off, Evan enjoys surfing, fishing, hunting & spending time with his family. We love Evan's big smile, amazing work ethic & dedication to serving our community!

US National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard has issued a Wind Advisory for the South Coast, including Montecito. Please heed the advice from Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management & be mindful during these elevated fire weather conditions. We encourage you to review our Ready! Set! Go! wildfire action plan, available here: https://tinyurl.com/9ud74v6a

Thanks to our Santa Barbara County Fire Department partners for inviting us to participate in a prescribed burn in Los Olivos this week. This burn provides critical wildland firefighting training for your Montecito firefighters while also reducing the risk of future wildfires. Montecito firefighters are working alongside firefighters from a dozen other agencies across the state. This collaborative training will help us to be successful in protecting our community and neighboring communities throughout fire season. Burning of nearly 100 acres will continue through Thursday.

It’s a beautiful day to take care of your mental health! Thanks to therapy dog Donuts & XSB Regional Peer Support Team Coordinator Tony Pighetti for visiting C Shift today! We’re so grateful 911 At Ease International, Inc offers not only our first responder community with mental health resources but their families as well. In order to take excellent care of our community, every member of Montecito Fire must take excellent care of their body & mind. It’s key to our commitment to serve you.

Join us for Academy Class 123’s graduation!

Trail Rescue Yesterday afternoon Montecito Firefighters responded to a hiker suffering a heat emergency on the Romero Trail. ... Along with @sbcsar @amrsantabarbara and a quick assist by @sbcasu we were able to locate the patient, provide treatment and hike him down the trail in a stokes basket. ... Remember to prepare your body for the rigors of hiking in the front country of Santa Barbara. It is steep and rugged here. Take plenty of water and have some type of food on hand for those unexpected needs. @montecitostrong @montecitofirefighterfoundation @newschannel312 @ksbynews #beprepared #hikeprepared

After 31 years, Division Chief Alan Widling spent his last day on duty today. After starting here in Montecito, he went to work for 23 years at Santa Maria City Fire Department, and then returned for the last 5+. Enjoy the next chapter, Chief Widling! @montecitostrong @montecitofirefighterfoundation @santa_maria_firefighters_2020 @newschannel312 @ksbynews #retiredfirefighter

Montecito Fire Department Division Chief Operations Alan Widling is retiring! December 30, 2020 after 31 years of service. Chief Widling was hired as a full-time Firefighter by the Montecito Fire Department in September of 1989, after beginning as a private ambulance paramedic and Reserve Firefighter for the Santa Maria City Fire Department. Chief Widling left Montecito in 1991 to spend the next 23 years rising through the ranks in the Santa Maria City Fire Department t...o become the Operations Battalion Chief in 2011. In 2015, Alan returned to the Montecito Fire Department as a Shift Battalion Chief, and in July of 2019 he was promoted to the Division Chief Operations position. Alan has been an Instructor for Allan Hancock College Fire Academy since the late 1990’s and achieved the level of Confined Space Rescue Technician - Senior Instructor with State Fire Training in 2008. Alan participated in the Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) program and currently serves as the Chairperson for Santa Barbara County US&R Regional Task Force (RTF-12) and as Deputy Chairperson for the California Statewide US&R RTF Working Group, which is made up of all 12 of the State’s RTFs. For my entire career I have been passionate about serving others and attempting to master the craft of firefighting through study, training and experience. My achievements were only possible through the support of my family, which sacrificed so much for me to achieve my goals. I will now have time to invest in paying them back for all of the birthdays, events and other special moments in life that I missed pursuing my dream. Chief Widling has been an incredible partner the past several years; his commitment to our community and organization were truly representative of his service over self-mentality, stated Fire Chief Kevin Taylor, we are grateful for Alan’s 31 years of service and wish him and his family well in retirement. Montecito Fire Department Battalion Chief David Neels will be promoted to the Division Chief Operations position effective January 1, 2021. @montecitostrong @montecitofirefighterfoundation @santa_maria_firefighters_2020 @one805sb @newschannel312 @ksbynews #rtf12 See more

Community Meeting The Montecito Fire Department, in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), the Carpinteria Summerland Fire Protection District, and 1st District Supervisor Das Williams invite you to attend a Debris Flow Risk Map Virtual Community Meeting on Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. The purpose of this Community Meeting is to provide Winter Preparedness information and to publicly release the updated Interactive Debris... Flow Storm Impact Consideration Risk Map. This is the map that identifies properties in our communities that may be at risk from debris flow or flooding this storm season. The Storm Impact Consideration Map will be utilized by local emergency managers to determine what portions of the community will be evacuated if necessary this winter. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Interactive Storm Impact Consideration Map will be available at www.readysbc.org/maps/. For more information on the updated Debris Flow Storm Impact Consideration Risk Map or the virtual community meeting please contact the Montecito Fire Department at 805-969-7762. Winter Preparedness Virtual Community Meeting 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17 Please click/copy the link below to join the webinar: https://countyofsb.zoom.us/j/95471602796 Passcode: 447933 Webinar ID: 954 7160 2796 Or Telephone: (833) 548-0276 (Toll Free) (833) 548 0282 (Toll Free) (877) 853 5257 (Toll Free) (888) 475 4499 (Toll Free) @montecitostrong @newschannel312 @ksbynews @sbindependent @noozhawk @edhatsantabarbara @one805sb #beprepared #stormprep

HazMat Incident This morning Montecito Firefighters who are part of the South Coast HazMat team responded to assist Santa Barbara City Fire, alongside Carpinteria Summerland Fire, Santa Barbara Police Dept, AMR, and the Santa Barbara Sheriff Department. The request was for a hazardous material inside a vehicle parked in a residential neighborhood. ... After a deliberate, effective response and plan, the scene was mitigated and turned over to the responsible authority. @montecitostrong @montecitofirefighterfoundation @santabarbaracountysheriff @santabarbaracityfire @santabarbaracityfirefighters @carpinteriafirefighters2046 @amrsantabarbara @santabarbarapolice #hazmat #hazardousmaterials

Community Survey - Input Needed The Montecito Fire Protection District has partnered with the Carpinteria Summerland Fire Protection District on a Fire Station Location Study. The purpose of this study is to validate community risks identified in previous studies, identify mitigations to those risks, and to determine if a mutually beneficial location can be identified between the two Fire Districts for a single fire station location. The most important part of this study i...s community member input. Please participate in our survey and provide your opinions and expectations of the Montecito Fire Protection District. The survey is available online in English and Spanish and takes less than ten minutes to complete. All survey responses are anonymous. The survey can be accessed by clicking the banner at www.montecitofire.com or by navigating directly to the websites listed below. English Version: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/English_Montecito_FPD Spanish Version: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Espanol_Montecito_FPD Thank you in advance for participating in our survey. @newschannel312 @ksbynews @sbindependent @noozhawk