Tag archives: fire

This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and the Montecito Fire Protection District would like to acknowledge and thank their dispatchers for their dedication, hard work, and amazing skills. “They are the heroes behind the scene, processing emergent and non-emergent calls for service on a daily basis,” said MFPD Communications Coordinator Jackie Jenkins.  The […]

The Santa Barbara County Chapter of the California Special Districts Association (SBCCSDA) honored Chip Hickman and Toni McDonald at their meeting last week, held at Root 246 Restaurant in Solvang. Montecito Fire Chief Chip Hickman received the 2018 General Manager of the year Award. Chief Hickman has been the Fire Chief for the past seven […]

Signs of Trouble What a surprise! During a Sheriff’s raid on a drug house, they found our stolen road signs; check out the attached image!  Montecito’s iconic road signs are 100% privately funded through donations to the Montecito Community Foundation. Most community members are unaware of the Montecito Community Foundation’s work (the conversion of a […]

The Montecito Fire Protection District received the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence by the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) in recognition of its outstanding efforts to promote transparency and good governance.  “This award is a testament to Montecito Fire Protection District’s commitment to open government,” said Fire Chief Chip Hickman. “The entire district staff is to […]

At a board meeting on Monday, January 28, the Montecito Fire Protection District Board of Directors appointed a new director: Judy Ishkanian. Ishkanian takes the seat vacated by John Venable, who served for 16 years on the Fire District Board before announcing his retirement in December. Ishkanian will be required to run for the seat […]

Donors, partners, and supporters gathered at the Santa Barbara Courthouse for an unusual dedication ceremony – a 7-foot-by-9-foot American flag made out of fire hose sourced from the Montecito and Santa Barbara fire departments and used in the Thomas Fire. It was made to honor the First Responders of the Montecito mudslides by retired Santa […]

Longtime Montecito resident Jeremy Harper has painted a work of our rarefied enclave’s historic fire station to mark the first anniversary of the fire and mudslide disasters, which has also been turned into a time-lapse video work commissioned by The Cheese and Wine Store’s Patrick Braid. Jeremy, who attended Montecito Union School – where he […]

Tremendous prayer support and outstanding work by firefighters have kept Westmont safe. The college remained on mandatory evacuation through Wednesday, December 20, as firefighters mopped up hot spots from the firestorm. On December 16, winds blew the Thomas Fire toward campus. Engines and firefighters actively worked to protect the campus and have put out a […]

One year ago, pretty much right now, I was looking up from Montecito Street in Santa Barbara at Montecito Peak on fire. I thought for sure all of Montecito would burn. But it didn’t, thanks to 8,000 firefighters. Dan SeibertMontecito (Editor’s note: Well, yes, while we can’t say Montecito was “lucky,” as we lost nearly […]

On a personal note, I mark the passing of Gene Sinser, a former director of the Montecito Fire District, at the age of 86. Born and educated in Germany, coming to the U.S. in 1953, Gene and his wife, Patty DeDominic, moved to Solvang two years ago after nearly two decades in our rarefied enclave, […]

On Monday, November 27, a Badge Pinning ceremony took place at the board of directors meeting of the Montecito Fire Protection District to honor three recently promoted fire personnel.  Rod Walkup was promoted to engineer. He joined the organization in 1995 as a reserve firefighter and was hired full time August 1, 1999. He is […]

On Tuesday, October 30, Montecito Fire Protection District hosted a special awards ceremony at Montecito Union School. The formality was to honor two MFPD firefighters for their courage and bravery during the January 9 debris flow. Wildland specialist Maeve Juarez and firefighter/paramedic Andrew Rupp were each given a Medal of Valor award, which is the […]

Lucas Grant, our 31-year-old Steve McQueen lookalike, seems as though he would be just as comfortable stepping into a Formula One as he would a fire engine. He was born and raised in San Luis Obispo with older sister, Ashley. He played lots of sports growing up, mainly basketball, baseball, and football. He developed great […]

On October 25, more than 100 Montecito residents attended a community meeting at Montecito Union School regarding storm readiness, hosted by the County of Santa Barbara and the Montecito Association. “We’re bracing ourselves for another post-fire winter season, and the most effective defense we have is to work together as a community,” said director of […]

The Montecito Fire Protection District is hosting two meetings next week to discuss wildfires. The first will be a review of the 2017 Thomas Fire and the Department’s Wildland Fire Program, and the second will be a discussion about climate change and its effects on wildfires. On Wednesday, October 17, MFPD will present a report […]

Montecito Fire Protection District would like to acknowledge and thank its dispatchers for their dedication, hard work, and expert skills. “They truly are heroes who provided extraordinary service during the Thomas Fire and January 9 debris flow events,” said MFPD rep Jackie Jenkins.  The Montecito Fire Communications Division (South Coast Dispatch) serves the community with […]

The awesome mountains above us still precariously harbor massive boulders, reminding us daily of our lost friends, neighbors, and family. Some of the 12-foot high boulders that traveled all the way down the mountain, past East Valley Road, sit like monuments to the enduring power of nature. What does the law have to say about […]

As Montecito residents struggle to absorb the unwelcome financial burden of removing public mud and debris that flowed onto private property, it has become more important than ever to rebuild our community and return it to normalcy in the shortest possible timeframe with generous assistance from the County and FEMA. A heartwarming example of rallying […]

It was third time lucky for Montecito society doyenne Beverley Jackson when she threw her annual firefighters benefit bash. Because of the Thomas Fire and the devastating mudslides, bubbly Beverley had to cancel two other dates at her oceanside home, but more than 80 guests turned up with toys for needy children at the hastily […]

While Montecito residents and businesses continue to rebuild following the mudflow event of January 9, the Montecito Fire District, which is credited with saving many lives during the storm event, recently welcomed the newest member of their team.  Luca Gil Nahas – the son of Araceli Gil, District accountant for MFPD, and her husband, Rich […]