Each year the men and women of the Santa Barbara County and City Fire Departments respond to over 20,000 calls for service. These calls range from medical emergencies, car accidents, hazardous materials spills, search and rescue to large scale wildfires and building fires. Recent years have shown the dramatic impact that large scale wildfires - like the Zaca, Gap, Tea, and Jesusita Fires can have on our community.

The SBFA is a 100% volunteer organization that works hand in hand with the firefighters of the City and County of Santa Barbara to identify and fund critical equipment and program support. We have targeted innovative, cutting edge technical equipment not usually available through normal Fire Department budgeting channels. Using a strict appropriation process we work with “line” firefighters to identify equipment that furthers their mission to protect the people of Santa Barbara with great safety and effectiveness.