Wildland fires have been able to flare up any month of the year depending on conditions, but this week marks the shift into "high" fire season in Santa Barbara County.
That shift marks a universal timeline for fire agencies to increase resources available for dispatch at the first sign of smoke and flames.
Those resources include extra fire engines and crews, bulldozers and both planes and helicopters, some of which are on specially funded contracts with a timeline.
Hitting small fires with a big response has proven effective in most cases.
