Federal funding will help with Santa Barbara’s emergency communications system upgrade

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara's emergency communication systems for first responders needs its own 911 response.

Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse stood with local, state, and federal officials along with his police and fire departments saying, "We've got some old equipment." It's about 30 years old. "And sometimes that (repair) equipment is either not available, really expensive, or almost doesn't exist anymore."

Santa Barbara City Administrator Kelly McAdoo said, "the $12-million project total, which will basically completely upgrade the system to modern technologies and make it easier for communication, more reliable. Battery backups for the different repeaters throughout the area."

Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-California), has delivered $963,000 in federal funding to help with the big financial price tag to replace the system.

"We are all dedicated to making our communities safer and to remind our communities that we have your safety and well-being in mind every single day as our highest priority," he said.

The systems upgrade does not have a complete timeline yet, but it will involve the dispatch center and all the units inside police and fire vehicles.

California's Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis was part of a presentation in front of Santa Barbara City Hall and said these changes will help cities with the responses needed for these challenging times.

"We have seen in an era of changing warming climate, extreme weather in the state of California, from wildfires to mudslides to flooding, it is truly a time where we have to invest necessary resources to keep our community safe."

The Santa Barbara area is prone to catastrophic problems with impacts on thousands of residents, making the communication system during all conditions vital. 

City Administrator McAdoo said, "the 911 system, the ability of our first responders to communicate with each other, is critical at any point during the year, but particularly during disasters."