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Regional dispatch center set for May 12; county approves AMR ambulance contract amid local uncertainty
Summary
District to transition to regional fire communications the week of May 12; county supervisors approved AMR as ambulance provider and the district is monitoring deployment implications.
The district reported that the regional fire communications center is scheduled to open the week of May 12, with agencies transitioning across that week.
"They're going to get all the players...starting Tuesday through, by the end of the week, Friday, all the agencies are going to be transitioned over," the Fire Chief said. The district expects to move its dispatching to the regional center as part of the scheduled transition.
Board members and staff discussed an ambulance contract the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved Feb. 12. The board voted 3‑2 to select AMR as the county ambulance provider for four years with an automatic annual extension for up to four additional years, extending the contract to Feb. 19, 2032, according to the chief's report. The chief said the contract lacks a written deployment plan specifying where ambulances will be stationed, and he and other fire chiefs are reviewing the contract to understand local impacts.
The chief also said the district is planning community outreach following recent Los Angeles fires: a community meeting March 12 at Voss Hall for the Summerland Citizens Association and a likely March 19 event at the Alcazar Theater to present wildfire education and a panel to answer questions.
No formal district action on dispatch or ambulance deployment was recorded at the March 5 meeting; staff said they would continue to monitor the county contract's operational impact.
