Special medical gear paid for with donations will help Santa Barbara County’s Firehawk helicopter

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - One of the largest emergency helicopters on the Central Coast is now going to have upgraded rescue and medical equipment.

A check of $90,000, with a portion coming from Dr. Victoria Mann Simms and Ronald Simms has been presented to the Santa Barbara County Air operations for medical rescue gear the helicopter needs immediately.

Inside patients can be transported, but this is a converted military chopper and there's now a better way.
Captain Tony White with Santa Barbara County Fire said now, "what we do is we have to latch them into a backboard and attach them to the floor in the helicopter."

That makes for a ride that may not be the best for someone who needs to be elevated or positioned differently for their specific condition.

The donated money through the ONE805 nonprofit group, which helps first responders, will pay for new equipment known as liters to stabilize up to two patients in flat or upright positions.

That will make this helicopter as versatile as one of the CalStar medivacs.

White says, "it will provide for two patients to be securely latched in the back of a helicopter on a comfortable pad, and appropriate seatbelts and have a safe transport."

Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig says, "in an air ambulance you'll see these liters. You'll see these built into the ship. For us, that was one of the items that we wanted to get but could never get. So now we have (thanks to) some very generous donations, it's on order already."

The donors were able to get a close-up look at the chopper and talk to the pilots about other needs that may be met with future funding, either with direct checks or through upcoming events.

Chief Hartwig says this specific item was on a longer list of needs, but the funding was available and the timing was critical.

This chopper is vital in several roles with the county's first responders.

Sheriff Bill Brown said, "in the event of a mass casualty situation it can be incorporated to get people out to a hospital. Or it can also be used  in a specific law enforcement incident to get a SWAT team from one area to another."

Brown says the helicopter has more speed than any other in the county and it can respond very quickly.

The One805 group was formed after the back-to-back Thomas Fire in 2017 and Montecito mudflow in 2018. "One805 is constantly looking to provide support to our first responders by providing the equipment they're not easily able to fund through normal budget channels. The conversion kit will directly save lives county-wide and add to the already versatile mix of operations the Firehawk is able to perform," said Kirsten Cavendish Weston Smith, One805 Co-Founder and Executive Board Member.

As the check presentation ceremony was ending, alerts came in about a vegetation fire that needed water drops, nearby along Highway 101.

The smoke was visible across the airport and over the hills.

The crew went into action and the helicopter was ready to go in just a few minutes.