Santa Barbara County 911 dispatchers will now handle emergency calls in a new facility that has been years in the making. The Regional Fire Communications Center and expanded Emergency Operations Center are a beautiful, state-of-the-art complex.
But more importantly, it’s part of a significant change in the way some of the county’s first responders operate. For years, if you made a 911 call for a fire or emergency medical services, you believed that the closest fire truck or ambulance would head your way.
That wasn’t always the case. The unit that actually responded was usually the closest one belonging to the agency serving that jurisdiction…