Even though the 2002 fire season has not sparked any fires in Malibu so far, the hazard continues to grow as the months pass and as the August heat sears the surrounding local mountains.
To help local communities prepare for the possibility of fires, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the California Fire Alliance brought a national program to Agoura last week.
Fire department representatives from several counties in Southern California, city and community representatives, as well as state and federal agency officials gathered at the Renaissance Hotel in Agoura Hills for a two-day “Firewise Communities” workshop.
City of Malibu Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Hap Holmwood, who attended the event, said, “It is more than brush clearing. It’s architecture-where you build the materials you use and what foliage you use.”
“Fire safe is not the same as firewise,” said Karen Terrill, information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The first is aimed at homeowners, and the latter focuses on entire communities, she said.
The alliance aims to help communities plan for the long range, Terrill explained.
As it works to minimize fire dangers, the alliance encourages local, state and federal agencies to integrate their efforts and work as a unified front to prevent wildfires from happening in the first place and protect neighborhoods if and when they do happen.
“Teamwork is imperative,” said Terrill.
In Malibu, where the land is managed by different entities, including private property owners, state parks and federal agencies, coordination in prevention measures and an orchestrated response are a must.
While the Fire Department requires homeowners to clear their properties early and as it checks up on progress, it also encourages homeowners to be ready to evacuate if there is a fire. The local sheriff’s station is ready to coordinate traffic patterns if necessary.
Another way to help communities grow firewise is in the planning process, said Terrill. When new developments are created, road placement could be altered to minimize fire hazards, she explained.
Since new communities are often built in a cul-de-sac setting, with only one road to access the homes, the road should be placed on the outside of the houses, rather than inside the group of homes, she noted. This way, the road can create a fire barrier that will protect the entire community in the cul-de-sac and the loop would be wider and more accessible to fire trucks if needed.
Holmwood agreed. “Anything you can do to develop a defensible area between you and the terrain is encouraged, like not building on the edge of the hills but back to anticipate flame length and create protection.”
A further aspect of fire safety is prevention. The state of California burns about 30,000 acres a year to prevent out-of-control fires, but prescribed burns are not easy to plan as many factors and a variety of agencies are involved.
Before a burn can be initiated, the weather, wind and fuel conditions must also be right.
“It’s a balancing act,” said Terrill. “We postpone more of these than we set, because everything has to be perfect.” A few prescribed burns were done in the western end of Malibu this year.
Areas can also be cleared with the help of grazing animals like horses and goats, or mechanical clearing, said Terrill, who uses horses to graze her own 3-acre property.
Gail Sumpter, Malibu’s community services specialist, attended the workshop on behalf of the city.
“It was great, they really focused on preplanning and how the planning of homes can affect how a home weathers a fire,” she said.
But Sumpter also found that most Malibu residents already cooperate with fire prevention requirements because they know first-hand what a fire can do.
“When it comes to fire preparedness, people are pretty willing to cooperate,” she said.
“The Fire Department does the initial brush clearance noticing to homeowners and then they contact me if they have a problem with someone who does not want to comply,” she said.
But this year Sumpter noted she has not heard from the Fire Department.