Tag archives: firefighters

Firefighters Santa Run, Toy Drive, & Summerland Holiday Events
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 10, 2024

Society Invites says it is time to bring your holiday cheer to our neighboring towns and fire departments. Jot down these dates in your holiday outings schedule, which follow with Montecito’s holiday events – you can easily move from one party to the next on the same day! Let the hot cocoa and champagne begin! […]

Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District Santa Run and Job Openings
By Joanne A Calitri   |   November 28, 2023

The Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District has two announcements for our town: their Annual Santa Run and a call for applications for Firefighter Paramedics and Firefighter EMTs. Pat Cockrum, President of the Santa Barbara South Coast Firefighter Foundation, in conjunction with the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District, announces their 3rd Annual Santa Run on December 9. The […]

Montecito Community Emerges Strong from Major Test of 5th Anniversary Storm
By Sharon Byrne   |   January 17, 2023

The following was written after having to evacuate rapidly, with no warning, at 1 pm on January 9, 2023, from the lower Mission Creek area, where I live. Sunday night, it was a bucolic stream. It turned torrential a few hours later and turned my street into a swift river. For the past five years, […]

2nd Annual Carp-Summerland Firefighters Santa Run
By Joanne A Calitri   |   December 27, 2022

Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighters, the Local 3368 International Association of Firefighters, held their 2nd Annual Santa Run on Friday, December 16, with routes through Carpinteria and Summerland respectively.  Founded two years ago by Firefighter (FF) Pat Cockrum, Vice President of Carpinteria-Summerland Firefighters, the event is a community favorite with the entire crew and fire engines from 1926 […]

One Big Party in the 805
By Richard Mineards   |   September 27, 2022

Oscar winning actor Kevin Costner opened the gates of his Carpinteria oceanside estate for One805LIVE! which attracted 1,500 guests and raised around $1 million for all three First Responder groups – fire, police, and the sheriff – purchasing equipment, supporting public safety and taking care of those who take care of us. Cars were parked […]

Fire Department Updates
By Kevin Taylor   |   May 10, 2022

As high fire season approaches, your Montecito firefighters train for the inevitable: weeks of grueling work fighting wildfires across California and, potentially, here at home. Your firefighters are put through a wildland firefighting refresher course each spring in preparation.  Wildland Training Due to the physical demands of wildland firefighting, the refresher course includes a timed, […]

Montecito Firefighters’ Charitable Foundation: Providing Needed Financial Support
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 25, 2021

Montecito Firefighter Lucas Grant is too young to have personal memories of what it was like when local firefighters were an integral part of a community beyond responding to emergencies, but that Norman Rockwell image of the local firehouse as a friendly and helpful gathering place still pulls on his heart. “I hear stories about […]

The Show Must Go On
By Richard Mineards   |   September 28, 2021

COVID-19 reared its ugly head when Natasha Bedingfield, considered one of the top 100 vocalists of all time, who was scheduled to be one of two principal performers at the One805 fundraiser at the charming Montecito estate of Alastair and Ann Winn, and Travis and Amanda Twining, cancelled just 48 hours before the sell-out boffo […]

One805 is LIVE!
By Montecito Journal   |   September 28, 2021

One805 has come roaring back from lockdown with a perfectly executed, sold-out event that was the perfect combination of class, emotion, and world-class entertainment. The One805 Live! event held this Saturday at the stunning Winn-Twining estate, featuring Danny Seraphine of Chicago and Robby Krieger of the Doors, was a knockout success. Strict COVID protocols at […]

This Should Be Fire: One805 Returns
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 7, 2021

After a long 18 months of attempting to execute a follow-up event to its widely successful Kick Ash Bash following the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow, local nonprofit One805 has announced a smaller scale donor appreciation event, slated for September 18. The special event, which is limited to 350 people, will be held at […]

End of Summer Surprise with One805
By Montecito Journal   |   September 2, 2021

Ready to rock ‘n’ roll for a good cause? Join The Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance and One805, the local nonprofit that brought us the 2018 Kick Ash Bash, for a donor appreciation event to support our First Responders currently on the frontlines of California’s wildfires. Special guests include Robby Krieger of The Doors and top […]

Putting Polo Grounds to Good Use
By Richard Mineards   |   August 12, 2021

A gleaming red firetruck from the Carpinteria Fire Department stood guard when Teddy Ru, son of former Santa Barbara Polo Club president Wes Ru and his wife, Victoria, celebrated his third birthday. The event also coincided with Firefighter Appreciation Day for the Montecito and Summerland stations, who utilized the sprawling Carpinteria polo fields as staging […]

Are You Ready? Have Things Set Up? Because You Will Never Know When it’s Time to Go.
By Christina Atchison   |   June 17, 2021

Those three little words…  No. Not “I love you.” We do love you but we’re talking about: Ready! Set! Go!  They are three little words that can make a life-or-death difference if you choose to take them seriously, now. What is a wildfire action plan and what does it mean for those of us in […]

Wildfire Season is Upon Us: Here’s How Montecito Fire Can Help You Prepare
By Christina Atchison   |   May 27, 2021

High fire season is officially underway for the South Coast. It’s easy to feel worried when looking at the parched brush, dramatically lacking rainfall totals, and concerning forecasts for warmer temperatures and impending sundowner winds. However, worry is not an effective method for survival. Instead, your Montecito Fire Department is focused on educating and preparing […]

It’s Personal: Hometown Girl Now Charged with Informing Area About Fire Safety
By Christina Atchison   |   May 6, 2021

As spring nears an end, many of us look forward to warmer weather, backyard barbeques, lazy beach days, and the innate relaxation of the summer season. Yet, the transition to summer comes with a layer of uneasy anticipation.  After studying fuel conditions and weather predictions, the local fire jurisdictions of Santa Barbara County have declared […]

Do What Teddy Does! (Follow the Leader)
By Leslie Westbrook   |   April 15, 2021

What a delight it was to meet the Ru family at the Summerland Fire Station on a recent Sunday afternoon where the rather precocious and terribly adorable two-and-a-half-year-old, Teddy Firestone Ru, was practicing his firefighting skills with great aplomb under the kind guidance of Interim Summerland-Carpinteria Fire Captain Johan Nilsson. He handled the hose with […]

Love And Light In The Darkness: The Third Annual 1/9 Commemoration
By Sharon Byrne   |   January 21, 2021

Saturday night, many of us gathered electronically to commemorate the third anniversary of the Debris Flow that claimed 23 of our community members, destroyed hundreds of homes, and shook us to our core.  It’s a day we’ll never forget.  As with all major disasters, the entire community experienced a collective trauma: shock, loss, grief, and […]

Kitchen Fire at Coast & Olive
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 17, 2020

Coast Village’s newest bustling eatery, Coast & Olive at the Montecito Inn, has been closed for nearly a week following a kitchen fire on Saturday, September 12. Following a busy brunch service, staff started to notice a burning smell, and the Santa Barbara City Fire Department arrived on scene to investigate. With smoke developing above […]

Fire Chief Kevin Taylor on This Year’s Fire Season
By Nick Schou   |   September 3, 2020

Back in January, a standing-room-only crowd filled Montecito Union School’s auditorium for an update on what to expect this year in terms of both fire and rain. The message was exactly what residents were hoping to hear. First, a lower than average chance of the kind of rain events that could lead to another debris […]

Montecito Firefighters Donate AEDs
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   July 23, 2020

The Montecito Firefighters Charitable Foundation (MFCF) has donated two Automated External Defibrillator (AED) machines and response kits to Girls Inc. of Carpinteria. AED machines are portable, life-saving devices designed to treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. According to the FDA, the combination of CPR and early defibrillation is effective in saving lives when used in […]