By the Santa Barbara City Fire Department
Friday, September 30, 2022, at approximately 1:31 pm The Santa Barbara City Police Department Combined Communications Center was notified of a possible confined space rescue in the harbor in front of marina three. The Santa Barbara City Fire Department responded three fire engines one heavy rescue company, a hazardous materials unit and one Battalion Chief to the scene.
The Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol responded and confirmed a male was trapped in a storm drain under a grate and a parked vehicle. The vehicle was moved prior to the first fire apparatus arrival and the victim was unable to leave the location due to the high tide. Firefighters used web straps, various tools and made several cuts around the grate, however the grate was unable to be lifted. A tow truck was requested to the scene and a tow truck from 805 Towing arrived. While under the supervision and direction of the fire department personnel, the tow truck operator used a chain to wrap around the grate
The grate was lifted and removed by the tow truck; the male victim believed to be in his 30’s was able to exit the hole under his power. The victim was partially clothed and possibly suffering from environmental exposure. AMR evaluated the victim and transported him to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. The Santa Barbara Police assisted with traffic and crowd control at the scene. The victim estimated he may have been in the hole for approximately six hours.
The Santa Barbara City Fire Department would like to remind everyone that storm drains are not for exploration or temporary shelter.
So the question is – WTF was he going down there.
Blame Reagan for the hordes of mentally ill on the streets. They used to be able to self commit until they were stabilized.
It was and remains the result of the ACLU
I think Jojo called it out – if you want to place blame, place it on those who are in power and have had a chance to change this mess and do the right thing in CA for the last couple decades. Are they afraid that’s not popular and they won’t get re-elected? Probably. I get it. They’re politicians and reversing Reagan’s bad move will go over like a damn lead ballon around here, with some…not all
Look nationwide – Reuglicans wouldn’t fund a life preserver to throw to a drowning baby. Only after national outrage did they give in on the burn pits legislation. Right now they want to defund Veteran’s Affairs.
The buck stops with everyone else
GT, please stop with ur crap! According to the article, he likely wasn’t born until after Reagan was dead! There have been many, many different governors since Reagon was a governor, mostly Dem btw, and this problem has not been fixed. Try proposing a solution instead of spewing crap!
i’m with Oops on this one…GT, put a sock in it dude.
There’s been plenty of time for leaders to fix Reagan’s mistake along the way. That was a long time ago.
ACLU to blame.
Remember it wasn’t Reagan that wanted them out. CA courts ordered mentally ill people couldnt be held against their will, so many were released.
The courts aren’t responsible for implementation. When it comes to this niche issue, nearly everyone forgets (maybe willfully) that the response to the decision had two parts. The institutions were closed but mentally ill people unable to care for themselves were also guaranteed a minimum level of care. The bipartisan Lanterman-Petris-Short Act ended indefinite involuntary psych holds and stipulated that the state would “provide prompt evaluation and treatment of persons with serious mental disorders or impaired by chronic alcoholism.” Governor Pete Wilson then continued Reagan’s partial implementation in the 90’s by closing the state mental hospital in Camarillo, at one time (I believe) the largest facility of its kind in the country and highly rated at the time of its closing. This is a bipartisan blunder, as many things are, but we should also look at explicit motivations. Democrats were concerned with inhumane confinement of mentally ill people, Reagan and GOP wanted to save money.
The courts don’t sign laws, governors do.
Thank the ACLU for challenging the State of California , threatening to take the State to Court for incarcerating the “mentally ill” in state institutions like Camarillo… How’s that been working out…? Generaltree , clue in.
ChillinGrillin is so correct is is Republican based. How dare any of you think otherwise. After all we only have the Democrat controlled Senate, the Democrat controlled Assembly, the Democrat controlled Assembly, the Democrat controlled Governor, the Democrat controlled Los Angeles, the Democrat controlled San Francisco, the Democrat controlled Attorney General, the Democrat controlled Secretary of State, the Democrat controlled President, the Democrat controlled Senate, the Democrat controlled Congress, the Democrat controlled Vice President. Dammmnnnnn Reagan and those Republicans. You see when you lay it out this way it is easy to see how stupid they and their arguments are.
Cleverness is not your strong suit – deceitful mendacity is.
Your paladin, Trump, would be proud.
None of those people signed the bill that released the mentally ill, Reagan did.
@Chico Berkeley: Wrong. It was signed in 1967 by Governor Reagan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanterman%E2%80%93Petris%E2%80%93Short_Act
“Delusional”
Check your mirror. And stop lying by rote.
Yea, wiki is never wrong.
I worked in that industry at he time so keep up the cut and paste.
Reagan was PRESIDENT at the time it was signed.
Easily triggered people are getting really old on this site.
What is it called when people act that way?
Delusional.
funny….it happened during the Clinton admin. My aunt and uncle worked at and lived on site at Camarillo State. Regan the pressie may have signed it, but i think the Clinton admin gutted the programs that were in place and THAT is what triggered the doors to open, let them all out, transfered some to Atascadero SH and the rest were just thrown out on their own. This is fact. I witnessed this first hand it is still heartbreaking. There are so many people that need help out there and most of our homeless are those people, mixed in with adicts…who also need help. In fact maybe it’s a good time to stop judging everyone else around us and roll up our sleeves and help these folks rather than act like its all about you, or me. it’s about ALL of US. Help your fellow citizens out, pay it forward, build up some Karma.
Wrong. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanterman%E2%80%93Petris%E2%80%93Short_Act
“If you want to talk about things in the past correctly, you would have to have been alive at that time or you are just parroting BS”
Or have an IQ above room temperature.
ACLU, Reagan, “the courts”, hikers, “scolders,” “bullies,” blah blah blah blah……… who cares?
Only ONE thing is important here – how/why/when did he get down there? Blame away, but I’m curious!