Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Emergency Information System Under Review After Report Criticizes Notification Time

Santa Barbara city officials have received an update on emergency public information systems following a critical report at a Board of Supervisors meeting.

One county supervisor says the media was able to get information faster than the county, and wanted  alerts to come out quicker.

The Emergency Operations Manager says the Holiday Fire was an example where the county's message came out about 35 minutes after the fire was reported.

In that case, the county had to dispatch crews, make a plan, decide on evacautions, and alert the public all in a short period.

The media had messages out in about half that time.

The Emergency Operations Manager went on to say that there is a fine line in the early minutes of a fire, pointing out that if the information is released too quickly it may be inaccurate, while waiting for accurate information may cause it to be released late.

Tags