Thank You, Firefighters

We live on the mid Riviera. We woke up Thursday to helicopters flying overhead and fire-truck sirens. After checking InciWeb, The Indy‘s updates, and Ray Ford’s ever-reliable reporting, we realized it could happen again: Our city could face another hellacious wildfire. Having witnessed family members lose their house in the Tea Fire on Coyote Road and hearing their neighborhood announced in the second evacuation warning naturally caused us all grave concern.

It is now Sunday, and it looks like they have prevented the worst-case scenario. We have been so full of gratitude for every firefighter we have seen drive by our house. They have tiredness in their eyes and faces that look like they were battling smoke and working extremely hard to keep our city the way we like it. Our fresh air and sky have not turned orange-colored as ash covers everything in sight.

I just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts to all the firefighters and pilots who fought this fire! Please know, there are many of us that believe that for your bravery, you deserve a ticker-tape parade on State Street following every wildfire you have fought to keep our city safe. We truly believe you should also be supported by our community with affordable Santa Barbara housing, a pay increase, and our deepest respect and gratitude!