Emergency Response Dispatch System Integration

The current countywide dispatch system for all emergency response is grouped under the Sheriff's Department including fire and law enforcement. Each fire district and law enforcement agency (e.g. Santa Barbara City Police Department) has its own Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System that allows it to see where its officers and resources are. Unfortunately, those CAD systems are siloed and do not allow agencies to see where the officers and resources of sister agencies are located. This leads to inefficiencies in response (where one agency is closest to a need but isn't dispatched to address it because the dispatcher has no way of knowing they are close by) and to potentially dangerous situations (when one agency sends its officers into another jurisdiction but that other jurisdiction does not know it and thus is unable to provide support if needed). There is a clear need to implement a centralized system for coordinating communication across fire districts during an emergency, and this need is being addressed currently through an effort lead by Santa Barbara County Fire Department and supported by the County Board of Supervisors. The fire agencies are creating their own fire dispatch and information sharing system so they can coordinate across agencies. This will, however impact the existing system which depends on funding contributions from the fire and law enforcement agencies to share the cost. Addressing the need for coordinated systems across fire and law enforcement agencies will require a broader solution. Since the Sheriff is the primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), where 911 calls go first to be forwarded along, the ideal solution would allow them and all the other agencies access to a shared CAD. This is a particularly critical need for larger scale events that require multi agency response, including wildfires. Thus the evolution of this system is a key need for building community wildfire resilience.

Status: Underway (This project is currently underway and multiple fire agencies are coordinating on implementation measures.)

Cost: Medium

Partners: Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Sheriff’s Department

Permitting: None

Funding Sources: Multiple county and city department budgets intersect in this arena. Each jurisdiction is contributing to the cost. Various emergency response funding sources might be applicable here and should be researched.

Additional Notes:  Facilitation of the multi-party process is required to create workable solutions that create improved emergency response dispatch and coordination.