City of Goleta unveils new hydrogen sulfide detector

The City of Goleta unveiled a new highly sensitive H2S monitor for Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s Station 11 Monday morning.

The portable detector was funding by the City of Goleta’s Public Safety Fund, which is entirely funded by Camino Real LLC. More than $1,000,000 has been contributed for Goleta public safety efforts by Camino Real LLC since 2008.

“Over the last nine years, we have been pleased to assist the City of Goleta in achieving the status of being one of the top 50 safest cities in California. The ability for our contributions to quickly and efficiently address issues or equipment needs such as this hydrogen sulfide detector is an example of how well our contributions are used,” said Mark Linehan, President of Camino Real LLC and owner of the Camino Real Marketplace.

On October 9, 2016, the Santa Barbara County Fire department received report about a strong foul-smelling odor similar to rotten eggs, sulfur or gas in the western part of Goleta. The fire department and several agencies responded to identify and contain the source of the smell, resulting in public safety concerns. The odor was located coming from a deep water well operation on a ranch in the unincorporated area of the county.

Nine days later, Goleta City Council requested a report on the odor incident and what follow up actions were recommended. Topping the list was recommendation to buy a mobile hydrogen sulfide detector so first responders can have the technology to locate these sources quickly.

County Fire asked the committee to fund a Jerome J605 H2S Detector which cost $17,500, which was donated by the city’s public safety fund.

The detector will be located at Fire Station 11 in western Goleta and will be available for use countywide.