View the Montecito Fire 2025 Annual Report

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Montecito Fire 2025 Annual Report (PDF)

Fire Chief's Message

Each year, our organization's objectives are to offer a robust level of service within our community, provide regional cooperation, and maintain a focus on wildfire preparedness and organizational development within the Montecito Fire Department. Our personnel remain committed to protecting the community while adapting to evolving risks and operational changes.

Throughout the year, Montecito Fire Department personnel responded to more than a dozen mutual aid incidents across the western region. These responses underscore the importance of strong interagency relationships and highlighted our role as a dependable regional partner during significant emergency events. The Palisades and Eaton Fires reinforced the reality of large-scale wildfire threats at any time of the year and prompted meaningful reflection and action within our district.

In the aftermath of these fires, we experienced a substantial increase in community interest and concern regarding wildfire preparedness. In response, the department continued our proactive outreach efforts and met with multiple community and homeowner's associations. During 2025, we completed 135 property visits to provide site-specific wildfire mitigation recommendations. These efforts complemented our comprehensive Wildfire Preparedness Community Meeting held on June 26, which brought together local public safety agencies and community support organizations to share information, resources, and strategies.

Professional development remained a foundational priority. Several well-earned promotions took effect in January, and additional promotions followed in June. These advancements reflect the depth of talent within our organization and our commitment to leadership development. Each of our promoted members has been recognized in this report. We were also proud that our newest members successfully completed their probationary processes in June and November of 2025. Additionally, one of our firefighters completed the paramedic training program at Allan Hancock College, further strengthening our advanced life support capabilities.

Operationally, a major milestone occurred on May 13, 2025, with the closure of South Coast Dispatch and our successful transition to the Regional Fire Communications Center. This change, along with the upgrading of our radio communications infrastructure, has improved interoperability, reliability, and closest-resource model response.

As Fire Chief, I am proud of the dedication, professionalism, and adaptability demonstrated by the members of the Montecito Fire Department every year. Their efforts, combined with strong community partnerships and regional collaboration, continue to enhance our ability to protect the community we are honored to serve.