Fire prevention planning heats up in Mission Canyon with residents looking at several safety steps

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A town hall meeting on fire issues Tuesday night brought out more than 100 Mission Canyon area residents in Santa Barbara who have a heightened concern about fires.

The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles have recently added fuel to the discussion about resources and response plans.

Santa Barbara County and City fire officials were at the session pulled together by Santa Barbara City Councilmember Kristen Sneddon and County Supervisor Roy Lee.

County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig and City Fire Chief Chris Mailes were among those on the panel. They were joined by County Fire Marshal Fred Tan and City Fire Marshal Ryan DiGuilio.

Many residents were concern about response times and the number of engines available in the first wave of a response.

There was also a strong conversation about early warning systems and how to get out before the very populated canyon area is evacuated. If that happens all at once, it would overwhelm the streets and put the public at risk.

Fire officials said, new zone mapping and notifications will be coming out in the near future.

The local fire agencies say they are ready to respond with the local gear, and an immediate call out for a mutual aid response from other agencies who stand ready to mobilize where fires break out. It is a system that can draw from regional departments and if the event grows in size, so can the call for fire strike teams all the way into other states. In Los Angeles, fire personnel came in from Mexico and Canada.

(More details, photos and video will be added later today.)