My name is Charles Beck, I’d like to share my opinion regarding the devastation done to our town during the fire last year. Prior to this fire, I had only ever heard of natural disasters affecting residential areas on news channels, and I never imagined that my family and my neighbors could be potential victims of nature’s fury. Yet, last year’s fire has taught me that the presence of natural fires in Southern California is not only possible, it’s eventual. The Woolsey Fire is not the first fire to strike Malibu, and it will surely not be the last. As a result, our town needs to take action in order to ensure that we are ready for the next fire.
Firstly, we need to do a better job of lowering the chances of a house catching fire. This can be done by ensuring that any nearby highly flammable trees are cut down as soon as possible. We also need to ensure recreational fire use is limited to the highest degree possible. We also need to ensure that in the event, citizens have a plan, including where to meet in the case of a home catching fire, and have a collection of important items that can quickly be taken in the case of a home catching fire. If citizens plan to fight fires in their home and neighborhood, they should be prepared with a mask and a pool pump (if they have a pool). Whatever we do, we need to be prepared for the next fire, as much of the brush burned in the last fire has regrown, and could be easily lit in the next bought of high speed winds.
Charles G. Beck