Santa Barbara County Fire Department announces milestone advancement known as Advanced Life Support

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara County Fire is taking steps to speed up medical care during emergency situations.

The department now offers “advanced life support,” pre-hospital care designed to help people as soon as they call 911, without waiting for an ambulance.

“Our commitment is to our people and our constituency is that you will get the best level care possible when you call 911,” said Santa Barbara County Fire spokesman Mike Eliason

All of the county’s fire stations can now provide advanced life support (ALS).

These services include intubating patients, starting intravenous therapy, and administering certain medications, like epinephrine during a heart attack.

Emergency crews say faster response times and care will help save lives across the county.

“It's very difficult to wait on scene and watch someone who needs advanced life support and be waiting for an ambulance that's delayed. And so we can now offer that paramedic service to patients that makes life lifesaving difference,” said Scott Safechuck, spokesman for Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Safechuck said seconds can make a difference, explaining, “It's four-to-six minutes before irreversible brain damage occurs during a cardiac arrest. (In) ten minutes...you will have brain death.”

People across Santa Barbara County will now have access to emergency paramedic services by land, air, and sea.

Safechuck added, “We've been providing a paramedic service here in the county, and now we're able to provide it through all 16 stations, our helicopter, through the air support unit, and with our jet skis going out on the ocean.” 

Santa Barbara County Fire says the goal is to efficiently save as many lives as possible during emergency situations.