Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council

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Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council

The SB Fire Safe Council works diligently with their partners to promote wildfire safety in Santa Barbara County through education and action.

See details for our annual Wildfire Preparedness Expo here:
https://sbfiresafecouncil.org/about/events/

08/21/2026

Wildfire-resistant homes start with small changes. 🔥🏠 In this video, our Home Evaluator and a local contractor explain how and why to retrofit your home’s vents to help protect against wildfire.

Want to know what you can do to reduce your home’s wildfire risk? Sign up for a FREE Fire Safe Council Home Evaluation and get personalized recommendations for your property.

Sign up today: SBFIRESAFECOUNCIL.ORG/EVALUATION/

08/18/2026

🔥 WE’RE HIRING! 🔥
Want to help students, families, educators, and communities become better prepared for wildfire?
The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council is looking for an Education Programs Assistant to join our team! 🌿

This part-time position will help us develop and deliver K–12 wildfire education, work with teachers and community partners, support educational programs and events, and expand our outreach throughout Santa Barbara County.

We’re looking for someone who is:
✨ Passionate about education and community engagement
✨ Organized and collaborative
✨ Comfortable working with diverse audiences
✨ Experienced in education, youth programs, community outreach, environmental education, or a related field

Experience with K–12 curriculum is a plus, and bilingual English/Spanish skills are welcome!

📍 Santa Barbara County
⏰ ~20 hours/week
💵 $25–$30/hour
📅 One-year position with possibility of extension
📩 Interested? Check out our website for the job posting, and send your resume and a brief cover letter to [email protected].

And if you know someone who would be a great fit, please share this post with them! ❤️

08/11/2026

Come see us at the OEM Open House TOMORROW 8/12, 3-6pm🚨🏠

This August, the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will celebrate National Emergency Management Awareness Month by
opening the doors of the County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for two dynamic and
informative Open House events. These events give residents a behind‑the‑scenes look at how
emergencies are managed in Santa Barbara County.

Mark your calendars!
• Wednesday, August 12 from 3:00–6:00 p.m.
• Saturday, August 29 from 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: 4408 Cathedral Oaks Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93110

Visitors will be guided through the Emergency Operations Center by emergency managers
who support the county during fires, storms, public safety incidents, and other emergencies.
Residents will get an inside look at how information flows, how decisions are made during
critical incidents, and the tools and technology used to keep the community safe. Attendees
can connect with community partners offering preparedness resources, enjoy a kid’s area, and
check out some of the equipment used during emergency response. Families, students,
neighbors, and anyone interested in preparedness and emergency response are encouraged
to join in.

08/10/2026

🌿🔥The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, in partnership with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, is excited to offer another workshop in our fire-resilient landscaping series!

This half-day workshop will focus on maintaining gardens in high fire-risk areas and provide practical tools for helping providers make informed, fire-resilient landscaping decisions. Participants will explore effective plant maintenance techniques, seasonal considerations, and best practices for creating and maintaining more resilient landscapes.

🌱 Following the classroom portion, participants will take a guided walk through the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden to see these concepts in action.

🎓 Participants who successfully complete the course will have the option to earn a Certificate of Completion from the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council and be featured in our Certified Provider Listing, helping community members connect with professionals who have completed specialized fire-resilient landscaping education.

🎟️ $15 | General Public & Garden Members

Space is limited — register today to grow your knowledge, strengthen your services, and help build a more wildfire-resilient Santa Barbara County.

Link in Bio to register!

08/06/2026

🔥 Wildfire resilience is about more than keeping the lights on.

In a recent opinion piece for Noozhawk, SBCFSC Board Member Joan Hartmann highlights an important truth: protecting our communities from wildfire requires more than a single solution. While investments in grid hardening are essential, lasting resilience depends on an all-hands-on-deck approach.

From Firewise USA® communities and home hardening to defensible space, fire-wise landscaping, and public education, every action contributes to a safer Santa Barbara County. Wildfire preparedness is a shared responsibility—and together, we can make a meaningful difference.

Read Joan's thoughtful perspective through the link in our bio, and learn how you can help strengthen wildfire resilience in your own neighborhood.

(Photo taken at the May 2026 Wildfire Resilience Collaborative Symposium at UCSB)

08/05/2026

🚀 We're excited to help spread the word about one of the coolest STEM opportunities around!

At the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, we're always looking for ways to connect young people with exciting, real-world science and engineering that supports wildfire resilience, and the Future City Competition does exactly that. This year’s theme is to “Design a resilient Future City that can prevent, protect, and recover from urban wildfires.” 🔥🛡️🏙️

This isn't just another STEM program. Students work together to imagine and design the cities of the future, tackling some of today's biggest challenges through engineering, architecture, environmental science, urban planning, and technology. It's creative, hands-on, collaborative, and incredibly relevant to the world they'll inherit. From resilience and sustainability to infrastructure and innovation, it's a fun way to explore the kinds of challenges communities here in California are facing every day.

Even better, they need volunteer mentors, logistical volunteers, and day-of and virtual judges!

If you're a fire professional, engineer, scientist, architect, planner, landscape professional, educator, college student, or simply someone who enjoys inspiring young people, this is an amazing opportunity to help guide the next generation of problem-solvers work on this timely STEM challenge. You don't have to have teaching experience—just a willingness to encourage, share your knowledge, and have fun!

Find out more and register to volunteer here: https://futurecity.org/future-city-regions/california-southern/

We'd love to see members of our Fire Safe Council community get involved– let us know if you do!
🌎🏙️🔬💡

07/30/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our Firescaping Certification Course at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden! 🌿🔥

Participants spent the day exploring the principles and best practices of fire-smart landscape design, learning how to create beautiful, resilient landscapes that help reduce wildfire risk while supporting sustainable design goals.

Throughout the workshop, attendees gained practical tools for every stage of the firescaping process—from initial design concepts to long-term maintenance—and those who successfully completed the course earned a Certificate of Completion and the opportunity to be featured in our Certified Provider Listing. Stay tuned for more opportunities like this coming up!

We're grateful to our partners at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and to everyone who participated in helping build a more fire-adapted, resilient Santa Barbara County—one landscape at a time. 💚

07/29/2026

🍻🔥 Join us for the first Ember Hour Pub Talk Series! 🔥🍻

The Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council is excited to partner with the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and Dargan's Irish Pub to launch Ember Hour, a new series of community pub talks exploring wildfire, ecology, and resilience.
Our first speaker is Monica Matthews, Coordinator of the Santa Barbara County Prescribed Burn Association and a local ecologist with extensive experience in habitat restoration, watershed stewardship, prescribed fire, and cultural burning.

🌿 Fire: A History, Science and Practice

Fire has shaped California's landscapes for thousands of years and it remains one of nature's most powerful tools for maintaining healthy, resilient ecosystems. Monica will explore the history and ecology of fire in California and discuss how prescribed and cultural burning are helping communities and landscapes adapt to a changing future.

📅 Monday, September 14
🕕 6:00–7:00 PM
📍 Dargan's Irish Pub, Santa Barbara

Bring a friend, grab a drink, and enjoy an evening of fire science and conversation. We hope to see you there!

07/24/2026

Message from the California State Warning Center:

The California State Warning Center received notification from Southern California Edison of a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). SCE PSPS Event 07/26/26 may impact Kern, Santa Barbara. The proposed date and time for de-energization is 07/26/26 at 1200 hours to 07/27/26 at 0000 hours.

Extreme weather conditions that may cause or intensify a fire will lead to ex*****on of a PSPS. Due to the possibility of an extended power shutoff to your facility, check generator fuel supplies, and/or plans for obtaining more fuel or evacuating if necessary.

If the PSPS program is in effect and causes the power to go out in your facility, this triggers an “unusual event” as defined in the California Public Health and Medical Emergency Operations Manual and response protocol.

CONTACT:
Southern California Edison- https://www.sce.com/safety/wildfire/psps or call 1-800-990-7788 or your assigned SCE Account Manager
If you need assistance, you may contact the EMSA Duty Officer, 24/7, at 805-694-8301.

Stay safe SB County!

07/20/2026

Our July Board/General Membership Meeting, Open Session to the public 9-10am via Zoom.

There will be an open session for any interested members of the public to hear a special Guest Presentation from Professor Claudia Tyler. Professor Tyler teaches Biology at UCSB and will be sharing her research regarding fire ecology as it relates to Oaks and Manzanitas! Don’t miss the chance to watch Claudia’s presentation and pick her brain during the Q&A to follow!

There will also be Fire Safe Council and fire agency updates, as well as a community roundtable for an opportunity to voice your questions or concerns about wildfire in Santa Barbara County.

Link under "Meetings" on our website!

Address

P. O. Box 31052
Santa Barbara, CA
93110

Website

https://sbfiresafecouncil.org/

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