Santa Barbara regional fire dispatch center goes live; chiefs describe countywide GPS‑based dispatching

Fire Chief Chris Mails and Operations Division Chief Brian Fetterman briefed the commission on July 24 about the Santa Barbara County Regional Fire Communication Center, its technology and the phased changeover of dispatch services.

Chief Mails said the center's mission "is to optimize fire, rescue, and EMS response countywide through standardized dispatch protocols, prioritization of emergencies, and deployment of the closest appropriate resources regardless of jurisdiction." He explained the center operates as a secondary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) under California rules: 911 calls are initially routed to a law enforcement primary PSAP and may be transferred to the regional fire center when appropriate.

Mails described a multi‑year project: the county board of supervisors approved funds and construction began in April; construction was completed in August at an approximate cost of $12,800,000, which the chief said was absorbed by the county. The center adopted NextGen 911 and a modern computer‑aided dispatch system and required extensive integration and equipment mapping for 37 stations across the county, the chief said. He described standardizing response plans (for example a countywide structure‑fire response of four engines, one ladder and two battalion chiefs) and upgrading apparatus capabilities and GPS reporting so the CAD recommends the closest capable resource.

The go‑live was phased by agency; Mails said the city's transition occurred June 3, 2025, and the center later assumed dispatch services for AMR and other participating agencies. A recorded alert the chief played said the regional center had "assumed dispatch services for the Santa Barbara City Fire Department" and reported a successful alert test.

Mails said the regional center includes redundancies — a large automatic‑start generator, solar power and system redundancies — and that participating agencies pay an annual fee plus a per‑call charge to cover depreciation, planned replacement and upgrades. The City Council in October 2021 approved the city to join the regional center with an estimated annual allocation up to $800,000, the chief said.

Commissioners asked whether previous countywide 911 outages had affected the center; Mails said the outage affected all county 911 centers but the internal dispatching and ability to track apparatus remained operational during the outage and the public was directed to alternate phone numbers as a backup.

Mails said a public ribbon‑cutting is expected in the fall after additional testing and dispatcher familiarization.