Santa Barbara Foothills Community Wildfire Protection Plan
Welcome to the SB Foothills CWPP StoryMap! Scroll through to learn about the project, public engagement opportunities, & more!
Introduction
With the increased severity and frequency of wildfires in California, community wildfire planning is extremely important to help prepare for and adapt to wildfire. A Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is a tool to help reduce the severity and impact of wildfires and facilitate community resilience.
This CWPP will be developed consistent with the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 and the County of Santa Barbara CWPP Development Process guidelines. CWPPs are collaborative agreements, developed by at-risk communities in consultation with various interested parties and agreed to by the appropriate local government, fire department, and State Forester. Consistent with the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003, this CWPP serves as a mechanism for gathering community input and identifying areas with high wildfire risk, and for identifying potential projects intended to mitigate wildfire risk. Additionally, the CWPP process is intended to provide the community a forum for identifying values at risk from wildfire, which may include people, property, natural resources, agricultural lands, cultural resources, economic interests, and infrastructure. The identification of these values at risk influences the potential wildfire risk reduction projects identified in this CWPP. The Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 encourages land management agencies to consider the priorities established by the local community as they develop and implement forest management and hazardous fuel reduction projects.
This CWPP is intended to serve as a fire protection planning document that presents the community’s physical characteristics, wildfire hazard, assets at risk from wildfire, wildfire risk reduction approaches, vegetation/fuel management projects, and goal and action items intended to reduce wildfire risk in the Plan Area. This CWPP has been prepared with input and direction from interested parties, agency representatives, and community members.
Project Funding
The County of Santa Barbara was awarded a grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development to prepare a CWPP and transportation study for the Plan Area. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocates Community Development Block Grant – Mitigation-Planning and Public Services funds to the State of California.
The Plan Area
The Plan Area encompasses the Santa Barbara Foothill Communities of Mission Canyon, San Roque, Barger Canyon, and Northridge, as well as undeveloped areas north of these communities within private land, County land, and the Los Padres National Forest. The Plan Area spans 10,696 acres and has an estimated population of approximately 3,400 people (U.S. Census 2020).
Existing CWPPs
In addition to this CWPP, areas nearby and within Santa Barbara County have created CWPPs to help tailor wildfire protection planning to their relevant communities.
Within the Plan Area, a CWPP already exists for the Mission Canyon community, which was published on 2011. The applicable area for the Mission Canyon CWPP encapsulates the Mission Canyon community boundary for the Santa Barbara Foothills CWPP, and extends out of this area into surrounding areas and into the San Roque community boundary. With the exception of a small section in the City of Santa Barbara area, the Mission Canyon CWPP area is within the County of Santa Barbara jurisdiction.
Cities nearby also have their own CWPPs: City of Santa Barbara, Montecito, Carpinteria / Summerland, and Goleta. CWPPs also exist for unincorporated areas close to the Plan Area such as the Gaviota Coast CWPP, and San Marcos Pass / Eastern Goleta Valley CWPP. The Tepusquet CWPP services the Tepusquet Canyon community nearby Orcutt.
To better view the areas and communities that these existing CWPPs serve, please reference the map below.
CWPP Goals and Objectives
CWPP goals and objectives will be developed with input from the Development Team and the community. Overall, the goals and objectives will aim to facilitate community resilience and protect lives, property, assets, and resources threatened by wildland fire. The CWPP will identify and prioritize recommended wildfire mitigation and fuel reduction projects, recommend current best practices as to the types and methods of treatment, describe measures to reduce structural ignitability, and create the framework to qualify for state and federal grant funding.
Project Timeline
Community Engagement
Get involved!
Public input is critical to developing a successful and implementable CWPP. To ensure this CWPP reflects the priorities and concerns of the local community, we will be conducting a multitiered public outreach and engagement approach that includes a public survey, community workshops, the project StoryMap, monthly Development Team meetings, guidance from the County CWPP Working Group, and outreach to other interested parties. We would like to extend an open invitation to all interested parties to participate in the CWPP development process!
Public Survey
A public survey (available in English and Spanish) was distributed to gather baseline information about the community’s understanding and awareness of wildfire hazards, home hardening, evacuation, wildfire preparedness, and community goals and priorities. The survey was open from March 12, 2024 through June 9, 2024.
Community Survey Results
Survey participants were asked to identify their top wildfire concerns, greatest evacuation barriers, as well as desired actions to mitigate wildfire risk. Each graph displays the percentage of the survey respondents that selected each concern, barrier, or desired action. These subsets were chosen to help identify action items based on the survey participants’ worries and desires.
Community Workshops
In-person community workshops were held in May 2024 to foster a community-driven discussion and further learn about the wildfire concerns throughout the unique communities in the Plan Area. Workshops were held at the following dates and times. Workshops were open to the public. The workshops included an array of activities and discussion topics to get input from residents, landowners, and community stakeholders regarding your concerns related to wildfire and how the CWPP can reflect the community’s priorities for mitigating wildfire risk.
An additional workshop will be held virtually in early 2025 after the draft CWPP and transportation Study are released. This workshop will be allow for discussion of comments from the draft CWPP and transportation study. The exact date/time and other details of that workshop will be available soon. Survey participants and workshop attendees will be notified when these details are released. Others that would like to be notified when this workshop is set can fill out a contact form below. Please check back for more details.
Community Workshop Activity Results
Group discussions were a key feature of the community workshops to learn more about the community members’ experience with wildfire and build upon the insights received from the public survey. The discussion groups were divided amongst four topics:
- Home Hardening
- Wildfire Planning
- Defensible Space/Vegetation Management
- Evacuation/Community Response
These discussions were framed to have participants think about each topic in terms of challenges and opportunities that could either help or harm a community in preparing for wildfire. This framing really helped garner input that can directly feed into actions items from the CWPP. Data from this was then compiled into various categories of challenges or opportunities. These categories were then compiled into a tree map which showcases the themes or categories that workshop attendees resonated most with. The size of each rectangle for each category within the larger tree map is proportionate to the amount of comments that corresponded to that category. Below shows the tree maps that summarizes all of the comments for all of the discussion topics
These two tree maps charts show workshop results for topics that community members viewed as both challenges and opportunities. Click on each to enlarge the tree map.
To stay connected and receive more information about the CWPP process, click here to fill out the contact submission form. (This form is also at the end of this StoryMap.)
Fire Environment
The Santa Barbara Foothills area contains many influences, such as weather, wind patterns, vegetation, terrain, and built environment, that affect anticipated fire behavior within different areas of the Plan Area. To understand the effects of these factors, the following sections discuss different attributes present in the Plan Area that influence fire behavior.
Topics covered include the following:
Click the name of the topic you are interested in reading, and you will be taken to that section so you don't have to scroll through too much.
Fire Behavior Triangle
Local Wildfire Conditions
Wildfire conditions can be described through the local fire environment and fire regimes. The fire environment describes the surrounding conditions that interact to influence wildfire behavior, and the fire regime is a general pattern of fire occurrence in a particular location or vegetation type. The Plan Area’s fire environment, fire regimes, wildland urban interface (WUI), and fire history are described in the following sections.
The main components of a location’s fire environment include weather (temperature, wind, relative humidity), fuel conditions, and topography. These components comprise the Fire Behavior Triangle.
Climate and Weather
The Plan Area is generally characterized by a Mediterranean climate with dry summers followed by cool, wet winters. Average annual rainfall is roughly 20 inches, the majority falling between November and April (US Climate Data, 2024). Fog is often present during the summer months as a result of warm air from inland areas meeting cold marine air. The Plan Area falls into Battalion 1 South, which is a geographical area categorized by Santa Barbara County. Battalion 1 is characterized by cities located along the coast and communities sprawling into the southern slopes of the Santa Ynez Mountain Range and observes weather typical to other coastal communities of central and southern California. The many deep canyons running out of the coastal mountains towards the coast tend to catch and concentrate winds, enhancing the fire threat in warm, dry weather (CAL FIRE 2023). This leads to the drying of vegetation and higher potential for wildfire spread. However, wildfires can occur during all times of the year due to local weather variations including drought conditions, high winds, or unusually high temperatures, all of which occur throughout California.
Sundowner Winds
In addition to the prevailing winds and offshore winds displayed above, the region also experiences northwesterly downslope winds known locally as “sundowners”, which occur within the Santa Barbara Region on an average of two or three times each year. Sundowner winds, which are usually warm and dry, can locally reach speeds in excess of 40 miles per hour and cause a variety of public safety hazards. These winds, which are sometimes accompanied by very high temperatures, come from the Santa Ynez Mountains and can translate to gusty surface winds in the vicinity of Santa Barbara.
Sundowners, while similar in some respects, are independent of Santa Ana winds and much smaller in scale. Sundowners receive their name from the wind's predominant time of occurrence: the late afternoon and evening hours. The exact origin of the term "sundowner" is unknown; but the name dates from about the middle of the 20th century. Bosart (1983) and Clark and Dembek (1991), in their studies of the Catalina Eddy, noted afternoon downslope winds along the southern slopes of the Santa Ynez Mountains accompanied by extremely hot temperatures in the Santa Barbara area (>104 o F).
Sundowners, like most downslope winds, vary in duration and intensity. Light sundowners cause irregular rises in temperature and accompanying gentle offshore breezes in the Santa Barbara area. Strong sundowners, occurring two or three times a year, coincide with sharp rises in temperature and local gale force winds which can cause damage to structures or vehicles. On rare occasions, about once every five or ten years, a severe sundowner develops producing hot, damaging winds along the south side of the Santa Ynez Mountains and the adjacent littoral, which is the area of a sea, lake, or river that is closest to the shore (Ryan 1996). In the most extreme Sundowner wind events, wind speeds can be gale-force or higher, and temperatures over the coastal plain can rise to above 100°F. These winds typically manifest in midsummer to midfall as a result of hot temperatures; however, recorded midwinter, mild temperature Sundowner winds have occurred. Sundowner winds have historically resulted in significant property damage, as well as extreme fire danger (UCLA 1998).
Sundowner wind movement over the Santa Ynez Mountains in relation to the CWPP Plan Area
Downslope Sundowner winds during the 2017 Whittier Fire (EDHAT 2017)
Wildfires occurring in the Wildland Urban Interface, fanned by the high winds, pose the most significant hazard associated with strong to severe sundowner windstorms. All major wildfires affecting the Santa Barbara coast have exhibited significant fire spread rates toward the Santa Barbara wildland-urban interface due to Sundowners. Some dramatic examples of these rapidly spreading wildfires fueled by strong Sundowners are: Eagle Canyon (September 1979), Painted Cave (June 1990), Gap (July 2008), Tea-House (November 2008), Jesusita (May 2009), Sherpa (June 2016), Whittier (July 2017), and Thomas Fire (December 2017). The 2017 Thomas Fire is considered the largest wildfire in Southern California’s history to date. Despite the importance of Sundowners, little is known about the spatiotemporal variability and mechanisms driving these events. Contrary to Santa Ana winds that prevail during fall and winter seasons (Hughes and Hall 2010; Jones et al. 2010), Sundowners occur year round though appear more frequent during spring (Hatchett et al. 2018) (Carvalho et al 2020).
Vegetation and Fuels
Vegetation in the Plan Area is dominated by mixed chaparral. Urban areas in the Plan Area with the most structural density is the Mission Canyon community, followed by Barger Canyon and just outside and southwest of the Barger Canyon community boundary. Vegetation in the community areas consist of natural vegetation, as well as ornamental landscaping, and is categorized into the following categories below:
Pie chart showing vegetation community composition within the Plan Area
Vegetation throughout the Plan Area is shown in the map below, alongside a brief description of vegetation conditions for each community in the Plan Area.
Fire Behavior Fuel Models
Map of surface fuel models within the Plan Area, mapped using Scott and Burgan's 2005 Standard Fire Behavior Fuel Models
Fuel models identify the surface fuels present based on vegetation type and composition. Fuel models are utilized to model fire behavior based on vegetation characteristics across the landscape. Surface fuel models were mapped for the plan area using Scott and Burgan’s 2005 Standard Fire Behavior Fuel Models .
Fuel model data was obtained from the LANDFIRE data distribution site and edited to account for errors and to reflect local fuel conditions based on professional recommendations and field assessments.
Fuel models most prevalent throughout the Plan Area
Topography
Terrain affects wildfire movement and spread. Flat areas typically result in slower fire spread, absent windy conditions. Topographic features such as saddles, canyons, and chimneys may form unique circulation conditions that concentrate winds and funnel or accelerate fire spread (i.e., land formations that collect and funnel heated air upward along a slope). Steep terrain typically results in faster upslope fire spread due to the pre-heating of uphill vegetation. Terrain may also buffer, shelter, or redirect winds away from some areas based on canyons or formations on the landscape. Saddles occurring at the top of drainages or ridgelines may facilitate the migration of wildfire from one canyon to the next. Various terrain features can also influence fire behavior, as summarized below.
Topographical Features | Description |
---|---|
Narrow Canyon | Surface winds follow canyon direction, which may differ from the prevailing wind; wind eddies/strong upslope air movement is expected, which may cause erratic fire behavior; radiant heat transfer between slopes facilitates spotting/ignition on the opposite canyon side. |
Wide Canyon | Prevailing wind direction is not significantly altered; aspect is a significant contributor to fire behavior. Wide canyons are not as susceptible to cross-canyon spotting except in high winds. |
Box Canyon / Chute | Air is drawn in from the canyon bottom, resulting in strong upslope drafts. No gaps or prominent saddles to let heated air escape. Fires starting at the canyon bottom can rapidly move upslope due to chimney-like preheating of the higher-level fuels and upslope winds. |
Ridge | Fires may change direction when reaching the ridge/canyon edge; strong airflows are likely at ridge point; possibility for different wind directions on different sides of the ridge. Ridges experience more wind. Fires gain speed and intensity moving toward a ridge. Fires burning at a ridge can exhibit erratic behavior. Strong air flows can cause fire to whirl. Wind crossing a ridge usually has a leeward eddy where the wind rolls around and comes up the leeward side. |
Saddle | Potential for rapid rates of fire spread; fires pushed through saddles faster during upslope runs. Winds can increase when blowing through saddles due to the funneling effect of the constricted pass. On the other side, winds will slow, but erratic winds potentially occur at the saddle due to eddies. |
Sources: NFPA 2011; Teie 1994.
Santa Barbara Foothills CWPP Slope Map
As depicted in the map below, the Plan Area includes diverse topography, including ridgelines, which are expected to increase wind speeds during Sundowner wind events. Many of these ridgelines exist in close proximity to communities.
Santa Barbara Foothills CWPP Relative Effect on Wind Speed Map
Images of topography within Plan Area showing different topographical features.
Fire Regimes
Wildfire intensity, frequency, timing, and spatial patterns constitute the fire regime of a particular ecosystem. A fire regime outlines the historical role of wildfire in the landscape absent of modern human intervention but inclusive of indigenous burning.
Wildland Urban Interface
Examples of WUI
Various views of residential structures located within different wildland urban interface areas of the Plan Area.
Fire History
Fire history is an important component in understanding fire frequency, fire type, significant ignition sources, and vulnerable areas. The topography, vegetation, and climatic conditions associated with the Plan Area combine to create a unique situation capable of supporting large-scale, high-intensity, and sometimes damaging wildfires, such as the 2009 Jesusita Fire.
2009 Jesusita Fire. Picture taken from SD Bucket Brigade.
Wildfire suppression, human development patterns, and the absence of indigenous burning practices have led to significant fire history within and around the Plan Area and Santa Barbara County. According to CAL FIRE’s Fire History Database, which includes timber fires 10 acres or greater and brush fires 30 acres or greater dating back to 1914, 13 wildfires have occurred within the Plan Area, 21 wildfires have occurred inside or within one mile of the Plan Area, and 491 wildfires have occurred within Santa Barbara County since the beginning of the fire history record. Notable wildfires that have affected the Plan Area include the 2019 Cave Fire (2,600 acres), 2017 Thomas Fire (281,790 acres), 2009 Jesusita Fire (8,734), and the 2008 Tea Fire (1,946 acres). The 2008 Tea Fire burned within the far southeast region of the Plan Area, destroying 200+ structures in Montecito and Santa Barbara. The 2009 Jesusita Fire burned the majority of the Plan Area and destroyed 160+ structures. The 2017 Thomas Fire was considered the largest wildfire in California at the time and burned the far eastern regions of the Plan Area. The most recent 2019 Cave Fire burned the western quarter of the Plan Area. The map below depicts the fire history in the Plan Area and the surrounding areas.
Santa Barbara Foothills CWPP Fire History Map
Different parts of the Plan Area vary in their wildfire return, but the majority of the Plan Area has burned within the last 10 years. There are 3,915 acres of area that burned more than 50 years ago; 145 acres that burned within 25-50 years, 1,838 acres burned within 10-25 years, and 6,134 acres burned within the last 10 years. As wildfire acreage, frequency, and intensity vary, analysis of the Plan Area’s fire history and fuel modeling may imply that reoccurrence of wildfire in the Plan Area be anticipated.
Map showing the ignition point for the 2009 Jesusita Fire (red circle with block dot) and the area that it burned (orange).
2009 Jesusita Fire
The 2009 Jesusita Fire is one of the most damaging wildfires to occur within the Plan Area. As shown in the Fire History map above, and on the map to the right, the Jesusita Fire burned a considerable amount of the Plan Area and broached into some of the foothill communities within and outside of the Plan Area. The Jesusita Fire started on May 5, 2009, by two contractors clearing brush along the Jesusita Trail with power tools (Ford 2013). The ignition point was determined to be where the red circle and block dot is on the map to the right. The Jesusita fire sustained itself over a span of approximately two weeks, and destroyed 80 homes, damaged 15 other structures, and burned through 8,733 acres before being contained on May 18, 2009. At its peak, about 30,000 residents evacuated. Nearly 30 firefighters sustained injuries from the Jesusita Fire. Following the containment of the Jesusita Fire, the two contractors were charged with operating a weed whacker without a hot work permit in December 2009. In 2011, 60 homeowners affected by the fire sued Stihl Incorporated, the manufacturer of the equipment, for not warning that the cutter’s metal blades could spark fires and reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount (Edhat 2024).
Pictures of the Jesusita Fire. The left picture shows smoke from the fire during the daytime, and the right picture shows orange flames and a tall smoke column during the evening. Pictures taken from SD Bucket Brigade.
A change in wind patterns of the area working with local topography contributed to a sudden increase in fire behavior and consequential firefighter and civilian injuries, as noted in the CAL FIRE Jesusita Fire Burnover Report. Canyons and drainages present in the Plan Area may align with the Sundowner Wind direction in a way that exacerbates fire behavior and fire spread. The report notes that, throughout the course of a day, the Jesusita wildfire reacted to upslope winds, the offshore wind stream began to interact with established up canyon winds resulting in an erratic, gusty wind flow, and the Sundowner Winds in the area eventually took over. Subsiding air funneled downslope through canyons and passed with great velocity. The wind pattern propelled fire spread through spotting and contributed to the extension of the fire in multiple directions. The several engine companies assigned to structure protection during this day experienced a sudden extreme fire behavior related to the Sundowner Winds typical of the area, which resulted in the burn over of a Ventura County engine company, causing burns and smoke inhalation to the engine crew members, and major damage to the fire engine. During this same fire behavior event, several other engine companies and overhead personnel were required to take refuge in structures and apparatus (CAL FIRE 2009). A Santa Barbara Independent article written by Ray Ford details firsthand experience of this shift in winds and its effects on firefighting efforts (Ford 2009).
Various images from the 2009 Jesusita Fire. Images from Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
Ignition History
Ignitions within the Plan Area from 2007-2023 are few and far between, especially in comparison to those in the surrounding City of Santa Barbara area and San Marcos Foothills areas. Fifteen ignition points are spread throughout the Plan Area. Five ignition points are recorded in the communities of the Plan Area: one in Barger Canyon and four in Mission Canyon. Outside of these communities, three ignition points are recorded in the community just outside of Barger Canyon, one is located off of East Camino Cielo Road in the northwestern portion of the Plan Area, one point is located by the Seven Falls Trail, and four are recorded off of Gibraltar Road in the southeastern part of the Plan Area. All ignition points, with the exception of the Jesusita Fire ignition point located above the San Roque community area, appear to be located close by and off of trails, roads, and structures.
View the map below to see the locations of these ignition points.
Locations of ignitions within and around the Plan Area. Data is from Santa Barara County Fire Department and shows ignition locations from 2007-2023.
Wildfire Hazard and Risk Assessment
Hazard vs Risk
A Wildfire Hazard and Risk Assessment was conducted for the Plan Area using fire behavior modeling software and subequent GIS analysis. The analysis conducted in two basic stages: the first stage modeled wildfire hazard and the second stage modeled wildfire risk. For a detailed write up of the Hazard and Risk Assessment methodology, click here.
Wildfire hazard represents the existing wildfire environment and potential wildfire behavior. Wildfire risk is the intersection of wildfire hazard, identified assets and high-valued resources, and the resulting potential impact on those assets and resources. The model results can be used to identify and prioritize projects intended to reduce wildfire risk.
Wildfire Hazard Results
Wildfire hazard in the Plan Area was modelled extreme (97th percentile) weather conditions to ressemble a Sundowner wind event. These conditions represent extremely low fuel moisture and very high wind speeds. Peak weather conditions are intended to represent the predicted worst case wildfire behavior in the Plan Area.
Community Relative Wildfire Risk Ranking
A Community Relative Risk Ranking was conducted for the Plan Area to identify high risk communities where wildfire risk mitigation should be prioritized. This assessment also aims to enhance resident awareness of the relative risks associated with their community. The evaluation of community wildfire risk involved quantifying key variables within the designated community areas, including:
Proximity to Extreme Fire Behavior
Extreme fire is considered to occur when flame lengths exceed 11 feet in height. Communities in close proximity to extreme fire behavior are at greater risk of damages from direct wildfire exposure.
Potential Ember Exposure
It is estimated that up to 90% of structure losses from wildfire are caused by embers rather than the main fire front (IBHS 2020). Ember load quantifies the relative number of airborne embers that may fall onto an area from a nearby wildfire. The assessment of community ember exposure determined the predicted intensity of airborne embers within the community. Community areas subject to greater airborne ember exposure are more susceptible to structural losses during wildfire
Community Access
Community access defined by the available road network which can be utilized for emergency ingress and egress during a wildfire event. Communities with single access, often referred to as one way in and one way out, are generally considered of higher risk given more limited evacuation options and potential congestion with entering emergency vehicles.
Proximity to High Load Chapparal Fuels
Chaparral vegetation has the potential for a high rate of spread, rapid ignition, and extreme fire behavior given its high content of volatile organic compounds. As the age of chaparral increases, the amount of vegetative material and woody fuels build up and contribute to increased fire severity. Communities is proximity to high load chapparal fuels are at greater risk of direct exposure to high intensity wildfire.
Wildfire Suppression Difficulty
Wildfire suppression difficulty quantifies relative fire suppression effort based on a variety of factors including topography, fuel type, fire behavior under extreme fire weather, Fireline production rates in different fuel types using hand tools, and access (distance from roads, trails). Communities with a higher wildfire suppression difficulty are at increased risk of experiencing uncontrollable wildfires.
Wind Speed
Increased wind speeds contribute to increased fire intensity and spread. In some areas, terrain features such as ridgelines and canyons accelerate wind speeds and increase commnuity wildfire risks.
Slope Steepness
Steep slopes are likely to exacerbate wildfire behavior and facilitate accelerated rates of fire spread through communities. Terrain will be quantified by determining the average slope of development areas and the immediately adjacent terrain.
Urban Vegetation
Urban vegetation can contribute to the transmission of wildfires from natural vegetation to developed regions. During intense wildfires, embers that land in urban vegetation can result in additional fire outbreaks within communities, even if they are located a significant distance away from the primary fire front.
Historic Ignition Occurrence
Community areas near common wildfire ignition locations can be considered more susceptible to wildfire exposure.
Each variable was assigned a relative ranking to account for its influence on community wildfire risk. For a more detailed description of the Community Relative Risk Ranking approach, click here {add hyperlink to methodology PDF].
Relative Wildfire Risk Map throughout the Plan Area
Community Wildfire Risk - Showing the areas with a high concentration of Very High Risk
Transportation Study
In support of the CWPP, a Transportation Study was conducted to identify areas within the Santa Barbara Foothill Communities that may take the longest to evacuate due to the limited number of available evacuation routes and/or high levels of evacuation-related traffic. The surrounding topography restricts the number of evacuation routes connecting the Santa Barbara Foothill Communities to State Route 154, State Route 192, and Highway 101. A primary goal of the Transportation Study was to provide recommendations to improve emergency access and resident/worker/visitor evacuations. To read the entire Transportation Study, click here [add hyperlink].
The amount of time it may take to evacuate the plan area was estimated by comparing the roadway capacities in the plan area under evacuation conditions to the expected evacuation travel demand. Travel demand estimates how many vehicles may need to use a roadway during an evacuation conducted at a specific time. In the most extensive evacuation scenario, which assumes an ignition point located centrally in the Plan Area, a wildfire event would require the entire plan area and much of the extended plan area to evacuate. Ignition points in the western and eastern portions of the Plan Area were also considered and would result in a smaller share of the total plan area evacuating. Results of this analysis provide the estimated time to evacuate all upstream vehicles through intersections that are expected to be utilized during an evacuation. The time estimates represent only the travel time, and do not include any preparatory time that a person may require before getting into their vehicle.
The following six scenarios were developed with input from the technical team to reflect potential evacuation extents and times that would generate differing levels of travel demand:
Scenario One: Entire plan area ordered to evacuate on a weekday afternoon
Scenario Two: Entire plan area ordered to evacuate midday on a weekend
Scenario Three: Subset of the plan area, affected by a western ignition point, ordered to evacuate on a weekday afternoon
Scenario Four: Subset of the plan area, affected by a western ignition point, ordered to evacuate midday on a weekend
Scenario Five: Subset of the plan area, affected by an eastern ignition point, ordered to evacuate on a weekday afternoon
Scenario Six: Subset of the plan area, affected by an eastern ignition point, ordered to evacuate midday on a weekend
The results of the evacuation analysis informed the following key takeaways:
The results of the evacuation analysis suggest evacuation traffic will be greatest in the southern portion of the Mission Canyon community. The results of the Transportation Study also informed the key takeaways listed below.
1. Single access residential areas are likely to require the most time to evacuate: The evacuation results suggest that everyone evacuating from the single access residential areas along Tunnel Road north of Cheltenham Road and along Mission Canyon Road north of Las Canoas Road would be able to reach Foothill Road within two hours under Scenarios One, Two, Five, and Six and within an hour under Scenarios Three and Four.
2. Weekend evacuation travel demand may be greater than weekday demand: Regardless of ignition point, greater evacuation travel demand is expected under a weekend scenario compared to a weekday scenario. This greater demand is also reflected in longer estimated evacuation times on weekends.
3. The location of the ignition point may impact evacuation times in the Mission Canyon community: Although overall estimated evacuation travel demand is highest under the central ignition point scenarios, the eastern ignition scenarios produce the greatest individual level of localized traffic in the Mission Canyon portion of the plan area.
Evacuation Scenarios 1 and 2: Central Ignition Point
Left: Scenario 1: weekday, Right: Scenario 2, weekend
Evacuation Scenarios 3 and 4: Western Ignition Point
Left: Scenario 3: weekday, Right: Scenario 4: weekend
Scenarios 5 and 6: Eastern Ignition Point
Left: Scenario 5: weekday, Right: Scenario 6: weekend
Across all scenarios, four common points along the evacuation route network were identified to have the greatest expected evacuation traffic. The estimated time for residents, workers, and visitors located upstream to pass through these points – also referred to as “screenlines” – is summarized in the table and presented graphically in the map below.
Greatest Expected Evacuation Traffic at Intersections
Action Plan
The goal of this CWPP is to identify priority projects and action items that can be implemented to serve and protect lives, property, critical infrastructure, and Plan Area resources threatened by wildland fire. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department recognizes the potential for sever and damaging wildfires within the Plan Area. This CWPP is intended to reduce wildfire hazards and risk through implementation of the action items outlined in the Action Plan. Please check back in the near future to view the Action Plan.
Priority Wildfire Risk Mitigation Projects
Existing Projects
The map below displays existing vegetation management programs within the Plan Area. Click on the map features to learn more about these programs.
Existing Projects Fuels Reduction Projects
Priority Project Recommendations
Santa Barbara Foothills CWPP: Priority Project Recommendations
Community Resources
Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council (SBFSC): information about Firewise USA communities
Creating Defensible Space
CAL FIRE Defensible Space recommendations (click to enlarge)
Structural Hardening
- Home Hardening | CAL FIRE
- Wildfire Home Retrofit Guide (readyforwildfire.org)
- Low-Cost Retrofit List ( low-cost-retrofit-list-update-2_17_22.pdf (ca.gov) )
- Home Hardening | National Fire Protection Association ( FirewiseHowToPrepareYourHomeForWildfires.ashx (nfpa.org)
Evacuation and Emergency Preparedness
- Know Your Alerts & Stay Informed | Santa Barbara County, CA - Official Website (countyofsb.org)
- Nixle: text zipcode(s) to 888-777; limited information
- Wireless Emergency Alerting (WEA): activates cell phones with short message; does not require signing up (check if your current cell phone has enhanced geo-targeting technology and consider upgrading if it does not)
- Emergency Alert System (EAS): via local radio and television with a message
- Create Your Go Bag - Ready for Wildfire
- Go! Evacuation Guide - Ready for Wildfire
- Evacuation Steps - Ready for Wildfire
- ReadySBC | Santa Barbara County, CA - Official Website
- Ready! Set! Go! | Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council SBFSC (sbfiresafecouncil.org)
- Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) - Santa Barbara County Fire Department (sbcfire.com)
Incident Information and Updates
Traditional Media
- local TV stations
- newspaper and online journals
- CSBTV cable station - Channel 20
Call Centers
- EOC Call Center (when activated)
- reserve the use of 911 for emergency matters only
www.ReadySBC.org
Social Media - Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram
- Santa Barbara Police Department
- Twitter: @SB_Police
- Facebook: Santa Barbara Police Department
- Instagram: @SantaBarbaraPolice
- Santa Barbara City Fire Department
- Twitter: @SBCityFirePIO
- Facebook: Santa Barbara City Fire Department
- Instagram: @SantaBarbaraCityFire
- Santa Barbara City Office of Emergency Services
- Twitter: @SBCityOES
- Facebook: City of Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Services
- Instagram: @SantaBarbaraOES
- City of Santa Barbara
- Twitter: @SBCity
- Facebook: City of Santa Barbara
- Instagram: @CityOfSB
- Santa Barbara County Sheriff
- Twitter: @sbsheriff and @SBSOPIO
- Facebook: Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office
- Instagram: @SantaBarbaraCountySheriff
- Santa Barbara County Fire Department
- Twitter: @SBCFireInfo
- Facebook: Santa Barbara County Fire Department
- Instagram: @SantaBarbaraCountyFire
- Office of Emergency Management
- Twitter: @SBCountyOEM
- Facebook: Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management
- Instagram: N/A
- County of Santa Barbara
- Twitter @countyofsb
- Facebook: County of Santa Barbara
- Instagram: @CountyOfSB
Consider joining Nextdoor for area-specific updates from neighbors in your community.
Contact
CWPP Web Contact Form