As part of Noozhawk’s Nov. 3 election coverage, we are publishing Q&As with board candidates for some special districts and education districts, including the Montecito Fire Protection District.
Candidate answers may have been lightly edited for spelling and formatting, but are otherwise presented as they were submitted.
The Montecito Fire Protection District is an independent fire department for the Montecito area, with two stations crewed by firefighting and paramedic personnel at all times.
The department also has its own dispatch center, fire marshal, and administrative staff.
Four candidates are running for three seats on the Board of Directors, which has five members.
Candidate Sylvia Easton
Noozhawk: Why are you running for the Montecito Fire Protection District Board of Directors?
Sylvia Easton: As a longtime resident of Montecito, I am proud to be an incumbent member of the Montecito Fire Protection District Board of Directors. I enjoy working collaboratively with the board and the Fire Chief to ensure that our Fire Department is well managed, retains their first rate personnel and remains fiscally strong.
I feel that the board has been very successful in accomplishing these goals. I am also a strong proponent of Montecito Fire Protection District remaining an autonomous special district.
Noozhawk: What personal and/or work experience would you bring to the organization?
Easton: Prior to becoming a member of the board, I had experience in real estate, mortgage lending and property management. All of these positions required good communication, organization and management skills. I have also been involved with a number of community organizations.
After the Tea Fire, I began sitting in on the board meetings at the Fire District as a concerned citizen. In 2015 I was appointed to the Board of Directors and in 2016 I was elected to a four-year term. I have served as secretary, vice president, and I am in my second term as President of the Board.
Last year, the board hired our new Fire Chief, Kevin Taylor, who is wonderful to work with. These experiences contribute to my ability to work with my fellow board members and to accomplish our goals in a productive way.
Noozhawk: What do you see as the top issue facing the district right now, and how would you address it?
Easton: I believe that the Fire District must provide equitable fire and emergency service to the entire community. I have always felt strongly that the east end of the community would benefit from a potential third fire station to improve response times to that part of the community.
The district is currently in a partnership with the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire District to engage in a study to see what can be done on our eastern boundary and their western boundary. I look forward to that study being completed.
Additionally, after the Thomas Fire and ensuing debris flows, community resilience has been of great importance. To that end, Montecito Fire has added layers of resiliency with their back-up power which enables the dispatch system to work seamlessly in emergency situations. Montecito Fire has long had a program to perform home inspections to help educate residents on how to harden their homes against fire threat and they offer a yearly chipping project to encourage residents to clear brush from their properties.
Noozhawk has published election Q&As with other Montecito Fire Protection District board candidates including:
Click here to read Noozhawk’s coverage in the Election 2020 section.
