In the wake of the devastating 2007 wildfire, a small group of Corral Canyon residents banded together to form Malibu’s first volunteer fire department. A fundraiser on Saturday will benefit the department and feature music from the band America.
By Ed Kamen / Special to The Malibu Times
When savage fires raged through Corral Canyon in November 2007, area firefighters did their heroic best to hold off the blaze and limit the damage. Still, 53 homes and nearly 5,000 acres were destroyed at a cost of more than $100 million. Area residents knew something needed to be done to curtail another disaster.
Two years later, the Corral Canyon Fire Safety Alliance (CCFSA) was formed and, with the guidance of the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACFD), established the first and only volunteer fire department in Malibu in 2010 – the nonprofit Corral Canyon Call Firefighters and Engine Station 271.
And on Saturday night, the legendary band America will be performing to raise money for the CCFSA and Engine 271. The organization relies solely on donations for its funding.
“The fire we had in 2007 changed everything,” said Paul Morra, president of the CCFSA and one of the canyon’s nine Call Firefighters. “I saw it grow from a very small fire into a massive fire in a matter of minutes. Something needed to be done.”
At the suggestion of former Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman, local volunteers formed what eventually would become the CCFSA. Among them was Matt Haines, who helped fight the fire with his own water-tanker truck that night in 2007, and was instrumental in the formation of the canyon’s fire department.
“Chief Freeman embraced the opportunity to work with this community and to figure out what went right and what went wrong after the fire,” Morra said. “He pretty much opened the doors and connected the local agencies together to work on improving fire safety in all of L.A. County, particularly Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains area. Some policies were changed.”
That led to the idea of creating a fire department for the canyon, an idea Morra said started with Haines.
“At first, I thought it was pretty crazy, but it certainly was something we could explore,” Morra said. That’s when the LACFD stepped in.
“I never dreamed we’d get the LACFD’s attention until they came to us and said, ‘We’ll help you,’” said Haines, who is one of two Call Firefighter supervisors.
“He (Freeman) embraced the opportunity to properly train us,” said Morra. “He made a tremendous commitment to this community after the fire.”
What resulted—after customized academy training for its volunteer firefighters by the LACFD—was the establishment of Station 271 and its nine Call Firefighters, who report to the LACFD’s Station 71. Station 271 has one fire truck and four water-bearing pick-up trucks.
“Having an engine here to get to something before it gets going, especially with the wind we have here in the canyon, is very important,” Morra said.
Presently, a temporary stationhouse is located on a private parcel between El Nido and the Malibu Bowl off Corral Canyon Road, but plans are in the works for a permanent site exactly halfway between the two small communities.
Although Station 271, and its nine Call Firefighters, is part of the LACFD, its primary funding through the CCFSA comes from residents and donations. That’s why Saturday’s fund-raiser is so important, said Haines.
Haines estimates that more than $60,000 has been raised since the creation of the CCFSA.
“It’s almost as if Corral Canyon has risen from the ashes,’’ Morra added. “A lot of people lost their homes, property. But this neighborhood came together and discovered its sense of community. It’s pretty special.”
Saturday’s event will also include a wine tasting, a silent and live auction and a variety of food from some of L.A.’s most popular food trucks.
There will also be the presentation of the third Corral Canyon Freeman Award, honoring Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain David Leary.
“He’s a really special guy,” Morra said. “He was very instrumental in helping this canyon rebound from disaster.”
The event will be hosted by Jess Michael of Fox 11 News LA and begins at 5 p.m. for VIP ticket holders and 5:30 p.m. for general admission and premium ticket holders.
“This is the largest fundraiser we’ve ever pulled off,” said Morra. “It’s the kick-off to raising new funds for the station—the first of many we have planned. The setting we have is just unbelievable. Everyone is going to have a special evening.”
For more information about the fundraiser, check out corralcanyon.org.