The Montecito Fire Department and Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management will conduct a test of the county’s ReadySBC Alerts emergency notification system across Montecito, 11 a.m. Thursday July 21.

The test is designed  to update contact information for all Montecito residents, and verify that opted-in community members receive ReadySBC Alerts without issue.
 
To receive the test alert, community members must register at ReadySBC.org.
 
Community members may register to receive alerts for up to five addresses within Santa Barbara County. Those five addresses might include one’s home address, work address, their child’s school address, and addresses of vulnerable loved ones who may need help during an emergency.
 
At least one contact method and one physical address are required to sign up for ReadySBC Alerts. Community members may register several contact methods and prioritize them in the order they prefer to be reached:

Text Message
Reverse calls to cell phones and landlines
Email
TTY/TDD for the deaf and hard-of-hearing

Save the ReadySBC Alerts phone number and text message number to your phone’s contacts under the name ReadySBC Alerts. Doing so will make it immediately clear that you are receiving an emergency message from ReadySBC Alerts when the call or text message comes across your phone.

Phone number: 805-979-2040
Text message: 88911

During the July 21 test, only residents within the Montecito Fire Protection District boundary and who are registered with ReadySBC Alerts will receive the test alert. An interactive map of the alert area is available at montecitofire.com. Type in your address to see if you are within the Montecito Fire District boundary.
 
Upon receiving the test alert on July 21, community members will be prompted to confirm receipt of the message. For example, those who receive a text message will be asked to reply “YES” to confirm receipt. No emergency action is required.
 
A call center will be staffed at Montecito Fire Station 91 on July 21 to field calls those with questions or issues relating to the test alert. To reach the call center, dial the non-emergency business line at 805-969-7762.
 
Direct questions to Christina Favuzzi, public information officer atcfavuzzi@montecitofire.com.