Local hereos honored with special awards

20 local heroes have been honored for their extraordinary contributions to Santa Barbara County.

The awards were handed out at a SOHO luncheon Thursday hosted by the Santa Barbara Independent in coordination with their recent “Local Heroes” edition that comes out each year during Thanksgiving week.

The winners covered a broad range including help for the homeless, peace activism, health care causes, music and impacts on political decisions.

Among the honorees, Fire Chief Pat McElroy who has been challenging the inner workings of the 911 emergency call system saying local calls have often been routed out of the area, before they come back to a closer dispatcher. In one case he believes the delay was a key component to the death of a local resident who lived not far from the fire station.

In addition to the honor they received at the lunch, the heroes also received proclamations from area politicians.