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Mayor proclaims May 2025 Wildfire Preparedness Month; fire officials highlight mitigation partnerships and outreach
Summary
Mayor Randy Rouse proclaimed May 2025 Wildfire Preparedness Month. Fire Department leaders and partners described ongoing vegetation management, defensible-space outreach, and collaborations with the Fire Safe Council and Park & Recreation to reduce wildfire risk.
Mayor Randy Rouse read a proclamation declaring May 2025 Wildfire Preparedness Month in the City of Santa Barbara and urged residents to prepare homes, make evacuation plans and sign up for emergency alerts at readysbc.org.
Fire Department leaders used the ceremonial item to brief council on ongoing wildfire mitigation and community outreach. Fire officials highlighted partnerships with Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council and Parks & Recreation to implement vegetation-management projects, defensible-space evaluations and public education. The department said it is moving from planning to implementation on several projects and credited collaborative grants and local hand crews for progress.
Why it matters: Santa Barbara’s topography, seasonal weather and vegetation make wildfire prevention and preparedness a continuous priority. Fire staff emphasized that coordinated local actions — home hardening, neighborhood defensible space and emergency planning — reduce the risk of loss to life and property.
Details from department comments - The city fire marshal (Ryan DeGiulio) and a wildland specialist (Mark Fontillo) spoke on daily work and partnerships; staff credited the Fire Safe Council and Park & Rec for implementation assistance. - The department referred to past wildfire events affecting the community and noted ongoing efforts including outreach, hand crews funded by grants, and defensible-space evaluations. - Council members noted community interest in additional localized assessment districts (Wildland Fire Suppression Assessment District) and asked about the cost and process; staff estimated an initial engineering/consultant process could be on the order of $85,000–$100,000 to explore a local assessment district and said such start-up costs can be advanced and later recovered through assessments if voters approve a new assessment district.
Ending: The mayor’s proclamation directs residents to ReadySBC resources; council members expressed support for continuing outreach and exploring locally funded assessment options where residents indicate willingness to pay for additional clearance or services.
