A mild fire season can lull some into complacency, but officials say residents should always be prepared.
By Sylvie Belmond/Staff Writer
While the Santa Ana winds were blowing away the moisture from recent rains, the Malibu Chamber of Commerce hosted a fire prevention seminar at the Renaissance Hotel in Agoura Hills on Friday.
The lull of a quiet fire season should not erase the true risks of fire hazards in Malibu and surrounding communities, said speakers at the meeting.
“To be motivated, we have to think about emergencies we have been called to confront in the past,” said Jeanette Scovill, president of the chamber. These can include floods, fires, tornadoes, earthquakes and even computer viruses or nuclear dangers, she said.
Scovill recalled her own experiences. She lived 50 miles away from Three Mile Island when a nuclear accident occurred there in the 1970s. She also had close encounters with fire as a child and as an adult on multiple occasions. Scovill even lost her father to fire.
“Today’s event was conceived with the idea of bringing together business and government representatives to consider and discuss a joint response in a time of crisis,” said Scovill.
Keynote speaker Congressman Brad Sherman was invited to attend but congressional business kept him in Washington. In a statement to the chamber, Sherman noted the City of Malibu has a strong record in dealing with natural calamities.
“Unfortunately, we have to add man-made calamities now to the list of crises we must prepare for,” he said in his statement.
Congress is currently working on ways to help local governments prepare for terrorism-related emergencies, he added.
Malibu Battalion Chief Michael Dyer noted that brush clearance is a major component of fire prevention.
Dyer also highlighted some of the department’s evacuation plans.
“When there is a fire, we have to stay and you don’t,” he said, emphasizing that residents should leave and let firefighters deal with emergencies.
Malibu is especially vulnerable and escape routes can be tough to come by, given the limited number of in and out routes, he explained.
That is why people should know ahead of time what route they will take in an emergency, he said. Identifying at least two exit routes are critical components of the plan.
The department also recommends that people know where residential assembly points are for areas they frequent or reside in.
In Malibu, the gathering points include: PCH and Big Rock Drive, PCH and Topanga Canyon Road., PCH and Sunset, Malibu High school, PCH and Corral Canyon Road, Cross Creek Road and Civic Center Way, and Trancas Market.
Dyer asked Malibuites to call him if they know of other places where people gather in case of an emergency so the fire department can be aware of the locations.
Dyer also reviewed some personal fire safety procedures. If someone is unable to leave, it is always safer to stay inside a house when a fire is passing by, he said. Furthermore, “Keep your face down because you have to protect your airways.”
When it comes to firefighting, others had more defensive ideas in mind. Instead of renting fire fighting aircrafts known as SuperScoopers from Quebec on a seasonal basis, why not buy them?
That is what Citizens for Aerial Fire Protection, an organization formed in Topanga after the 1993 and 1996 fires, wants to do.
While the fire department uses many aerial means to fight fires, it does not use SuperScoopers year-round. Instead, the county leases two aircrafts from Quebec during the peak of fire season.
Susan Nissman, senior field deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, was not convinced this is the answer because these crafts cost $23 million each.
Marc Olsen, Malibu Chamber president-elect and representative for Edison, reminded power users that fires can cause blackouts, therefore they should not count on power for help.
He also assured people that the nuclear plant in San Onofre is well protected, mitigating concerns about nuclear disasters.
“The highest level of security is already in place,” he said.
Lt. Thom Bradstock, from the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff’s Station, spoke about law enforcement’s role in an emergency.
While the sheriff’s department helps on multiple fronts, it exclusively handles traffic management. Deputies handle roadblocks when an emergency requires road closures, he explained.
To avoid delays when there is a roadblock, Bradstock suggested people should obtain a decal from the City of Malibu.