After a marriage lasting 44 years now, the seven fire chiefs of Santa Barbara County have effectively finalized their divorce decree from the Santa Barbara County Sheriffs’ unified dispatch center, arguing they can provide faster, more efficient dispatch services by working as one team. By a vote of 5-0 this Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Supervisors agreed.
Tuesday’s proceedings were dramatic. Sheriff Bill Brown vehemently opposed the creation of the new Regional Fire Dispatch Center, insisting the current system worked exceptionally well and that it would cost the fire agencies $11 million to build the new center and $5 million a year to operate it. Worse, he said, it would also delay dispatch times by at least 58 seconds.
Relations between the five county supervisors and the sheriff, who is about to run for his fifth term, are as rocky as they’ve ever been. North County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino took offense that Brown argued against the cost of a new dispatch center when the supervisors had already invested $100 million in Brown’s new North County jail and committed another $25 million to fix up the existing South County jail. Lavagnino noted that despite some opposition, the supervisors approved it anyway because it was necessary.