Santa Barbara County opens new fire station and sheriff substation in New Cuyama

NEW CUYAMA, Calif. – Santa Barbara County announced the grand opening of County Fire Station 27 and Sheriff Substation, a new joint station in New Cuyama and Highway 166 corridor.

Located at 41 Newsome Street, county officials said Station 27 will provide critical fire and law enforcement services to the New Cuyama and surrounding area.

Before the opening of this new station, the county said operations were carried out from multiple buildings.

For the sheriff’s operations, the county said it owned two small homes that were provided as residences for sheriff’s deputies, and another home that was converted into a small substation.

However, noted the county, these homes were not needed for many years, so they were torn down to make way for construction of the new combined Fire/Sheriff’s Station, which began in June of 2021.

The county said this project cost a total of $8.2 million.

"Station 27 is a state-of-the-art public safety facility that is a model of partnership and cooperation," said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown.  "Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters have a long track record of working collaboratively to keep the people of the Cuyama Valley safe. This shared facility now provides these dedicated first responders with a modern center of combined operations, and the community with a cost-effective, state-of-the-art public safety station from which they will be better protected and served."

County officials said the station in the New Cuyama area will be staffed by a fire captain, fire engineer/inspector, and firefighter paramedic, and the Sheriff substation will be staffed by resident deputies who work 24-hour shifts and live in the Cuyama community.

"Station 27 represents our commitment to the safety and service of the New Cuyama area and Highway 166 corridor,” said Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig. "The joint facility represents unity with our Sheriff’s Office partners. The County stands united, ready to respond to any needs that may arise."