Thank you for your excellent article on Arson Watch (Arson Watchers Spot Suspicious Activity, Aug. 17, 2000).
Arson Watch for many years has been the eyes and ears of the sheriff and fire departments. We spot fires and watch out for suspicious activity, but we never question people.
We need members and we need financial support. If you are age 18 or older and have a car, we can use you (but you will have to pay for your own gas). We will equip you with an identifying vest, magnetic signs that identify you car as an Arson Watch Duty and loan you a radio that you can use to call in reports to the authorities (via our control center).
Each arson tour on the road lasts about two hours. If you can give 20 or 30 hours per year to Arson Watch, you will be helping us avoid or even prevent fires.
If you can afford it, we will help you buy your own radio so you can get on duty faster.
We are a non-profit organization that relies entirely on donations. People in Malibu and surrounding towns have been generous, but our costs never go down. We have to buy and maintain radios and lease time on repeaters that can get a radio signal over or mountain tops.
If you want to help out, call Doug Robbins at 450.3444 ext. 305 or fax him at 452.0563.
Allen Emerson