Full Notification

The Montecito Fire Protection District has added a new emergency notification system to our arsenal of information dissemination. Beginning July 4th , 2010, residents within the Montecito Fire Protection District boundaries will be able to purchase a tone alert radio for their home. This radio will transmit a 90 decibel tone and scrolling text with instructions on how to respond when activated by the District.

After the recent devastating fires, the Fire District conducted several tests of various alerting systems and devices, including sirens, external voice systems and internal notification systems.

Some of the concerns regarding emergency notification that surfaced after the Tea Fire included:

• Reverse 911® failures – Many calls were not received due to power outages and phone lines being burned

• Night time/late evening notification – Many don’t hear or answer their phones and might miss the Reverse 911® notification

• Sirens and bull horns are difficult to hear indoors and in windy conditions

• Not enough personnel to go door to door

The sirens tested were 117 decibels on a 30 foot tower and reached a distance of less than 1,000 feet. In many cases the sirens were ineffective due topography and weather conditions. Given the limited range, it was determined that in order to be effective, we would have needed many sirens installed throughout the District or increase the height of the tower up to 70 feet as well as increase the decibel range.

The Fire District decided on the Ambient Control Systems Home Alert Local Alerting System to augment our current emergency notification methods. It has been used in Oklahoma for tornado alerts, and Florida for hurricane warnings. Montecito will be one of the first agencies on the West Coast to utilize this system.

The new system consists of a receiver that functions regularly as a FM clock radio and weather radio, but can be activated by the Fire District via FM frequencies to enable a 90 decibel tone and text message across the display with emergency instructions. The radios also have a 60 hour battery life, so in the event of a power outage, they will still be functional. Radios cost approximately $100.

The new system will utilize FM frequencies to distribute the notifications through a partnership established with KDB Radio, FM 93.7. The system can be activated by Montecito Fire Dispatch or remotely by authorized personnel. In addition to the new Ambient Control Systems Home Alert Local Alerting System, Montecito Fire will continue to utilize Reverse 911®, Nixle, and AM 1680 to provide emergency and community information. Information about our notification services can be found on our website at www.montecitofire.com.

Montecito residents who reside within the Montecito Fire Protection District Boundaries who attend the Montecito Village 4th activities at Lower Manning Park on the 4th of July can receive a free raffle ticket to win 1 of 8 radios donated by the Montecito Firemen’s Association.

Radios can be ordered from Montecito Fire Protection District. For more information, call 805-969-7762.

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