Wildfire Preparation Work Heats Up in High Risk Areas
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Fire agencies along the Central Coast are preparing for what is expected to be a busy wildfire season, with crews in Santa Barbara already working to reduce vegetation in high-risk areas before flames can start and spread.
In partnership with the Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department, the city’s Fire Department is targeting 18 open space areas near neighborhoods where fires could threaten lives and property. Locations include Arroyo Burro Open Space, Douglas Family Preserve, Franceschi Park, Hale Park, and Parma Park.
Crews funded through a state grant are thinning brush, cutting grass, and reducing overgrown vegetation in parks and along trails. The effort is designed to slow the spread of wildfires and create defensible space for firefighters.
“This work allows us to get in and fight fires more aggressively,” said Mark von Tillow, a wildland specialist. “Flame lengths might not be as high, and the rate of spread may not be as fast. There are a lot of advantages.”
City officials said reducing fuel loads in high-risk zones also helps preserve native vegetation while removing invasive, highly flammable species.
The vegetation management project is supported in part by grant funding, which city officials say is critical.
“Vegetation management is an ongoing project,” said Monique O’Conner, an associate park planner. “We cut it one year, and it’s going to keep growing back.”
Work is currently underway at Hale Park, a city-owned open space along the Santa Barbara-Montecito border. The area is known for strong sundowner winds and thick vegetation—conditions that can quickly escalate a small fire into a fast-moving threat.
“This is a heavily populated area all the way down to the ocean,” von Tillow said. “This open space gives us a place to fight fires from or stage equipment if needed.”
The team performing the work includes individuals training to become firefighters. They work alongside a biologist to ensure environmental protections are in place, including buffers around active bird nests and sensitive plant species.
“If we find a nest, we either stop work in that area or assign a monitor to make sure the nest isn’t disturbed,” O’Conner said.
In one case, crews moved up a canyon to avoid disturbing a nesting hawk.
The city outlined five priorities for the project:
- Public outreach and education about fire safety,
- Creation and maintenance of defensible space near homes,
- Improved access and fire breaks in high-hazard zones,
- Strategic vegetation management, and
- Reduction of fuel loads in open space areas.
Crews say many residents have expressed gratitude for the fire prevention efforts. Officials also reminded property owners they are responsible for maintaining defensible space around their homes.
