With the Los Angeles fires on everyone’s minds, Santa Barbara County officials urged residents on Tuesday to prepare for emergencies before disaster strikes.
“We really are no stranger to wind-driven vegetation fires,” county Fire Chief Mark Hartwig told the Board of Supervisors.
The department learns lessons from fires locally and elsewhere, he said, and constantly updates its strategy.
During critical fire weather, such as this week, agencies pre-position firefighting equipment in areas that have burned in the past.
“I can’t tell you that we’ll be exactly where we need to be when the next fire hits, but we’ll be close,” he said.
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for the county again this week, and there’s no rain in the forecast. That means the region is going to be dry, and at a higher risk for fires for a while, Hartwig said.
The best time to prepare for an emergency is before an emergency happens, he emphasized.
“If you’re getting ready when fire weather hits, or you know you need to go, it’s too late,” Hartwig said. “Ready, Set, Go! is more than a tagline; take it seriously, make your neighbors take it seriously, and in weather like this, be hypervigilant.
“The Ready part is a bag next to the door. We know it’s dry, we know we should be ready; get a bag next to your door. The Set part is when it’s critical fire weather, like now, keep your head on a swivel and be aware, look at your surroundings.
“Don’t necessarily wait to go until somebody tells you; that is a decision you make for yourself.”
Many of the evacuations in the Palisades Fire were self-evacuations and neighbors notifying neighbors, Hartwig added.
“We’ll do everything we can — life safety, getting people out of the way in the first moments of a vegetation fire and make them safe,” Hartwig said. “But in reality, it’s your responsibility and we can’t possibly, and as we know now from the LA fires, we can’t possibly get to every home.
“My job is to do everything we can each and every day to make sure we lose nothing, and we’ve been tested here. In the Thomas Fire, there were just amazing firefights that went on in Montecito and Mission Canyon, with wind-driven fire and firefighters taking stands near structures.”
Kelly Hubbard, director of the Office of Emergency Management, said the county is enhancing its alerting systems and working on an evacuation study.
OEM wants its partners — such as cities and fire departments — to use the same evacuation mapping program so they can quickly post maps when evacuation orders and warnings are issued, Hubbard said.
The county also will start an informational campaign to “know your way out” since some communities have only a few access roads. In addition, most people drive to their homes only one or two ways, even if there are other ways in and out, she said.
“How would you get out of your community if the normal road is blocked, even if an accident occurs?” she said.
Supervisor Joan Hartmann said the Los Angeles fires are a “wake-up call” to the dangers of fires impacting urban areas in addition to the wildland-urban interface.
Home-hardening practices can help protect residences from fires and embers, but people in cities may not be as aware of the risks, she said.
“I think we need to move that way even in urban areas,” she said. “This is not business as usual. This is really something new.”
About 14% of residents are signed up for Santa Barbara County emergency alerts through ReadySBC.org. Sign up here, and choose the geographic areas for which to receive alerts.
Emergency Information and Preparedness Resources
Sign up for emergency alerts from Santa Barbara County
Go to ReadySBC.org for county information on how to prepare for emergencies
Ready Set Go: How to prepare for wildfire and evacuation and pack a go-bag
- People and pets
- Papers, phone numbers and important documents
- Prescriptions, vitamins and eyeglasses
- Pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia
- Personal computer, hard drive and disks
- “Plastic” (credit cards, ATM cards) and cash
What Do You Need to Know? What Should Everyone Else Know?
Ask Noozhawk your emergency-related questions and help us create a useful resource guide about preparing for and responding to wildfires, floods and other emergencies.
Email us at news@noozhawk.com or contact Executive Editor Giana Magnoli at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com.
