‘We know fire conditions are coming. Now is the time to prepare’
While Malibu is still in recovery mode from its worst disaster in modern history, city officials are urging residents to prepare now — before Santa Ana winds begin to blow and dry brush becomes kindling. “We know the fire conditions are coming,” said Public Safety Director Susan Duenas. “Now is the time to make your emergency plans and gather supplies so you can be ready.”
This fall, the City of Malibu is rolling out intensified measures to boost wildfire preparedness, with a focus on shared responsibility between the city, emergency agencies, and the public. A series of upgrades, training efforts, and public outreach campaigns are already underway, with the goal of ensuring Malibu is better prepared than ever when the next fire strikes.
On the heels of the Woolsey, Franklin and Palisades fires, Malibu has steadily built a more robust public safety infrastructure. Duenas said lessons from recent fires are now being incorporated into updated staff procedures and internal training, along with an after-action report on the Palisades Fire due by the end of August.
An updated evacuation plan is also in development. The city will be coordinating planning with partner agencies such as LA County Fire, Sheriff’s Department, CHP, and Caltrans. “This version will include community input,” Duenas confirmed. “There will be at least one citywide meeting where we explain the complexities of evacuation — why some seemingly simple solutions, like contraflow lanes, are actually highly resource-intensive and difficult to implement.”
A continuing frustration is communication gaps during power outages. The city is exploring new indoor alerting technologies that operate over radio waves — rather than cellular or internet signals — to ensure that critical messages still get through even if power and cell towers fail. “These systems could provide battery-backed alerts right into homes,” Duenas explained. “We’ll present options to the City Council on Aug. 11 and are pursuing grants to distribute receivers to vulnerable residents.”
Malibu’s community radio station, KBUU 99.1 FM, has also expanded its reach with a new antenna booster. According to Duenas, “It now covers about 85% of the city’s coastline,” offering one of the most reliable sources of emergency information during a blackout with a direct connection to Malibu’s emergency operations center. She advises residents to listen via car radio if reception in their homes is weak.
Another initiative in the works: establishing “resiliency hubs” throughout Malibu, beyond the traditional site at Bluffs Park. These hubs would offer phone charging, emergency information, and potentially dry ice and basic support during Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) that according to Southern California Edison will likely be more frequent and for longer periods. Locations are currently being identified in different neighborhoods to reduce the need for long, potentially dangerous drives in blackout conditions. “We’re working with neighborhood leaders to make this happen,” Duenas reported, adding that more announcements will come in September.
The city is also urging at-risk residents — those with mobility issues, pets, or limited access to transportation — to seriously consider pre-evacuating during red flag events, especially when extreme winds are forecast.
“We saw how unpredictable the winds were in January,” Duenas said. “Some areas had no wind, others had hurricane-force gusts that knocked people off their feet. If evacuation is going to be hard for you, don’t wait.”
Importantly, homeowners are again being reminded that home hardening and defensible space remain the first lines of defense. The city continues to offer wildfire home assessments and encourages all residents to take advantage of this free program. Duenas emphasized that wildfire safety is a “shared responsibility.”
“The city can’t rescue every resident in an emergency,” she said. “Everyone needs a plan — for evacuation, power outages, pet care, prescriptions, even just where to go if they need to leave early.”
Concerning evacuation alerts, some residents continue to push for outdoor sirens, but Duenas pointed out the Siren Feasibility Study available to read on the city’s website. In effect, the study found outdoor sirens ineffective for Malibu’s geography and building density. “They’re meant for outdoor use,” Duenas said. “We’re more focused now on indoor alerting systems, which are much more likely to wake you up in the middle of the night.”
Ramped up fire safety preparedness is being rolled out in Malibu before the fall season. One highlight of the upcoming National Preparedness Month is the 7th Annual Safety and Preparedness Fair on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Malibu City Hall from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fair is free and family-friendly, featuring emergency preparedness demos, kids’ activities, food trucks, giveaways, emergency vehicles, and a bike rodeo.
Despite challenges especially while the city is in recovery mode, Duenas said the city’s public safety team remains driven by the need to deliver fast, reliable information under complex and changing conditions.
“We think about this all day, every day,” she said. “Everyone in our office is committed to figuring out how to best serve this community. We know lives depend on it.”
For more information on wildfire preparedness and updates, visit: MalibuCity.org/FireSafety.