Santa Barbara County Fire Receives $750,000 Toward Marine Rescue Boat

New Vessel Will Aid in Emergencies, Environmental Protection, and Management

Assemblymember Gregg Hart and Senator Monique Limón stand with members of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department at Goleta Beach County Park as they present a $750,000 check that will fund the purchase of a new rescue boat for the department. | Credit: Sierra van der Brug

Assemblymember Gregg Hart and California State Senator Monique Limón presented the Santa Barbara County Fire Department with a $750,000 check for the purchase of a new marine rescue vessel at Goleta Beach County Park on Tuesday.

“Our coastline has experienced numerous high-profile emergencies over the years, including the 1969 oil spill, the 2015 Refugio oil spill, and the 2019 Conception boat disaster,” Hart said at the check presentation. “We want to make sure that our first responders have the tools to keep people and environments safe along the coast.”

Plans for the type of boat that will be purchased to aid in marine emergencies were displayed at the check presentation on Nov. 28. | Credit: Sierra van der Brug

The new vessel is likely to be a SAFE-type boat (Secure All-around Flotation Equipped), which is a semi-rigid inflatable with an aluminum hull surrounded by an inflatable ring, with funding from the California State Budget. A dedicated Water Rescue Team at County Fire currently responds to water emergencies and utilizes jet skis, inflatable boats, and helicopters, as well as assistance from other agencies such as U.S. Coast Guard, Ventura County Fire, and the City of Santa Barbara’s Harbor Patrol.

“With the kind of propulsion we are talking about, it could be 20-30 minutes [to Santa Cruz Island] depending on the conditions, which is unheard of for us,” said County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig. “We just don’t have that capability right now.”

Hart said that in discussion with Hartwig following the Conception boat fire, it became clear that better capabilities for marine rescue around Santa Barbara were needed. If any emergencies were to occur in areas such as Hollister Ranch or Goleta Beach, they wanted to make sure that the resources needed to respond would be in place. The vessel’s new home will be in the Goleta area, and it will be trailered in the meantime to any launch site.

Limón believed the boat would be a resource that would be critical to help save lives: “When it is needed, we are going to be prepared, thanks to this budget investment for our community,” she said.