Scorching summer temperatures can prepare the way for an even dryer autumn, the most dangerous time for wildfires. Fire personnel offer tips on how to keep your home safe before and during a fire.
By Cortney Litwin/Staff Writer
Hot, dry weather makes firefighters-and many Malibu residents-very edgy. No one wants a repeat of the January fire, when nearly 800 acres burned locally, let alone the devastating Malibu fire of 10 years ago.
For now, time is on the side of Malibuites, said L.A. County Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Hughes.
“People still have time to prepare their homes, because eventually we’ll have a fire here -it’s a given,” he said. “Anyone who has lived in Malibu for some time knows that.”
Hughes said the next few months could be critical. “Our biggest threat in the Santa Monica Mountains is later in the fall, with the Santa Ana winds.” These conditions “create red flag warnings, alerts that go out to all Southern California fire agencies,” he said.
The 1993 fire in Malibu that blackened 17,000 acres in east Malibu, destroyed 350 homes and claimed three lives broke out in November.
As of Monday, the fire threat in Malibu was “very high,” which is just under “extreme,” the adjective used to describe the greatest chance of a fire breaking out, Hughes said.
These adjectives come from the “burn index,” a combination of mathematical factors that involve air temperature, relativity humidity, wind, and “fuel stick,” which relates to the moisture in chaparral, trees, etc. The Forestry Division calculates these numbers on a daily basis and then passes along the information to the Fire Department.
“We’ve been fortunate in our area,” said Capt. Bob Haskell, who works out of Station 70 in Malibu. “They’ve been having fires on almost a daily basis in the Santa Clarita Valley and Antelope Valley areas.”
A fire was burning in Santa Clarita during the phone interview Monday with Haskell. That area has been designated “extreme” due to it being hotter, windier and dryer than Malibu.
There’s also a more practical reason for calculating the burn index. “We use that information to increase staffing, based on the fire threat,” Hughes said.
Every Malibu resident knows about fire inspections. “Back in June, we inspected every property in the Malibu area,” Haskell said. “If not in compliance, they had 30 days to clean up their property. Then they get re-inspected,” which is taking place currently.
As for fire safety, “I think the biggest mistake people make is not cutting their weeds back and not maintaining separation between the foliage and their homes,” Haskell said. “They cut it back once and then don’t cut it back on a regular basis.”
Hughes also offered several suggestions for making homes safe from fire, with brush clearance at the top of the list. He urged residents to “clear all the space around their homes, clear the brush and move firewood piles away from their homes. In a wind-blown fire, embers can get into the wood pile.” Also, “Trim overhanging trees and remove dead debris.” He also said to make sure private driveways are wide enough to allow the passage of fire engines. Some residents “just let the greenery grow and grow, and we can’t get a fire engine through,” Hughes said.
The Fire Department is prepared for the worst, with an array of land and air equipment ready for emergencies, Haskell said. To support the fire patrol teams, the department sends out large water tankers called water tenders, which carry 1,200 to 2,000 gallons of water and are used when there are no fire hydrants. Fire engines carry 500 gallons of water; patrol trucks carry 150 gallons of water and are used where larger fire engines can’t go such as along narrow roads.
In addition, during a first alarm fire (an initial brush fire response), one Firehawk is available along with three helicopters, one of which is stationed in Malibu. If a fire is spreading, more equipment is called into action such as a helitanker (which looks like a sky crane) and two SuperScoopers, which are leased from the province of Quebec and will be stationed at Van Nuys Airport tentatively from Oct. 1 – Nov. 30, Haskell said.
“On a really big fire, we can request fixed-wing air tankers,” Haskell added. “They are the large airplanes that drop fire retardant.”
The County of Los Angeles Fire Department provides the following tips to increase safety and reduce fire hazard risk to homes.
€ Back your car into the garage heading out, windows closed, keys in the ignition.
€ Close the garage door, leave it unlocked and disconnect the automatic door opener in case of power failure.
€ Keep a flashlight and portable radio with you at all times, and stay tuned to your local news station.
€ Move combustible yard furniture away from the house or store it in the garage.
€ Cover windows, attic openings, eaves and vents with fire resistant material such as plywood, 1/2-inch or thicker. Close window shutters and blinds if they are fire resistant.
€ Fill sinks, bathtubs, trashcans, buckets and other containers with water. Keep small rugs or wet towels handy to dip into the water and extinguish spot fires.
€ If you have an emergency generator or a portable gasoline-powered pump that will supply water from a swimming pool, pond, well or tank, clearly mark its location and be ready to operate it.
€ Place a ladder against the house on the opposite side of the approaching fire for access to the roof.
€ Close all windows and doors around your home to prevent sparks from blowing inside.
€ Close all doors within the house to slow fire spread inside the house. Turn on the lights in all rooms of your house, on the porch and in the yard. Your home will be more visible through the smoke or darkness.
€ Shut off butane/propane or natural gas valves.
€ Move furniture away from windows and sliding glass doors to keep them from igniting from the radiant heat of the fire.
€ Identify at least two exit routes from your neighborhood.
For additional fire safety information call the Community Relations Office at 213.881.2411 or contact your local fire station.