Keegan Gibbs also instrumental in initiating Community Brigade to help fight fires
Nearly six years ago, Keegan Gibbs took action at the spur of the moment, as part of the Point Dume Bombers, a loosely knit group of residents who battled the Woolsey Fire on their own. It was a life-altering event that unfortunately claimed his family home but also ignited a new purpose in him — one that has guided his professional and personal journey ever since. The nearly 40-year-old has immersed himself in the study of firefighting, resiliency, prevention, and preparedness, determined to understand more about the nature of fire and its impact on communities. As a filmmaker and storyteller, he saw an opportunity to explain the complex relationship between humanity and wildfire.
“I realized how little I knew about fire and what the ‘wildfire problem’ really is,” said the Malibu Safety Commissioner of five years. Gibbs’ loss became the impetus for a deeper exploration of this topic. “For 20,000 years, humans lived cohesively with fire. They used it for hunting, landscaping, and even as a tool in tribal warfare. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. But over the last 150 years of colonization, humans have come to fear fire.”
This change in perspective, Gibbs believes, is a core reason why wildfires have become more destructive in modern times.
Gibbs is now in the process of filming a documentary titled “Our Fear of Fire,” which delves into the evolving relationship between humans and fire. His goal is to present this complex issue in a way that is both “poetic and emotional, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about how we’ve ended up in this precarious situation,” he explained. “We need to get back to a way that’s in better balance with the environment. The landscape is going to burn whether we like it or not. We need to burn it on our terms, or it’s going to burn on its own terms. If it burns on its own terms, it’s typically not a great outcome for our communities that aren’t resilient.”
Gibbs was filming, under precarious conditions, in the San Bernardino and Angeles National Forests earlier this month,while covering the out-of-control Bridge and Line Fires, even sleeping in his truck in order to see again first-hand how firefighters are battling and resident are dealing with this latest emergency. He’s been researching fire for nearly six years, deeply engrossed in understanding both the science and human history of it. His work as a filmmaker is also fueled by a desire to show audiences how our communities can better coexist with fire.
In addition to his filmmaking efforts, Gibbs has played a pivotal role in organizing a local initiative called the Community Brigade program. Since the Woolsey Fire, he has worked tirelessly with local agencies to establish this volunteer program, which is designed to train residents to help fight fires in their own communities. It’s a partnership between the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, aimed at bridging the gap between the resources available to firefighting agencies and the overwhelming needs of communities during major incidents.
“The Community Brigade is a little like CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), but more focused on fires,” Gibbs explained. “That’s the primary threat here in the Santa Monica Mountains.” The program’s goal is to educate and train community members to be prepared for, and capable of responding to, fires. The initial cohort of just over 40 volunteers started training on Sept. 14, with members from seven local Community Brigades participating. These groups are spread across various neighborhoods in the Santa Monica Mountains, including Malibu West, Point Dume, Corral Canyon, Big Rock, Topanga, Ventura County Line, and Hidden Hills.
Training for the Community Brigade is rigorous, requiring 60 hours of coursework and field exercises, culminating in a“pack test,” which involves a two-mile hike with a weighted backpack to assess physical fitness. “The Call Firefighter program that Matt Haines and the Corral Canyon guys did essentially blazed the path for the Community Brigade,” Gibbs noted. Volunteers who successfully complete the program are equipped to help fight fires in their owncommunities. And if they choose, they can be dispatched to support firefighting efforts in other areas when needed.
Interest in the Community Brigade has surged since an article on the program was published in The Malibu Times in April. According to Gibbs, over 200 people have inquired about joining, and more than 100 individuals have already been interviewed at local fire stations. Out of those, around 45 have qualified to begin training. Another group is scheduled to start training this winter, and Gibbs is hopeful that the program will be operationally ready by the first week of October.
Reflecting on the work he’s done and the mission he’s undertaken, Gibbs is clear about his goals.
“My overall mission personally is to get people to accept that their choice to live in a high-risk area — whether that’sMalibu, Idaho, or Northern California — comes with a responsibility,” he said. “What I’m trying to do with the Community Brigade and the film is to show people a path to accepting that risk, so they can make better choices and learn to live cohesively in a landscape of fire.”
To learn more about volunteering to support firefighting efforts in your community visit Communitybrigade.org.