Tag: wildfires

MALIBU—On Friday, August 30, the city of Malibu posted on its website that to prepare for the upcoming wildfire season, Malibu will hold its Annual Safety and Preparedness Fair on September 15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Malibu City Hall parking lot. The city is working to help the community be prepared for wildfires, as well as earthquakes, floods, and other disasters.

Malibu faces various potential disasters, including wildfires, floods earthquakes, and tsunamis, making it important for the community to take active steps to be prepared. The city is committed to offering information, resources, trainings and guidance to help community members be more prepared and resilient, including the Safety and Preparedness Fair.

“The safety of our residents is our top priority,” said Mayor Doug Stewart. “By hosting this fair, we aim to equip our community with the knowledge and tools they need to protect themselves, their families, and their homes during fire season. Safety is a shared responsibility between the City, our partner agencies, and the community, and together we can ensure Malibu remains safe and resilient.”

Earthquake Simulator – Kids and adults can take a wild ride in Safe-T-Proof Earthquake Simulator to experience what it feels like to be in a house when a major earthquake strikes. The simulator effectively demonstrates the importance of anchoring furniture and heavy objects like TVs as part of making your home more earthquake safe.

Fire Extinguisher Training – Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers will set up and demonstrate their Emergency Information and Supplies Station. They will also offer live-fire training for guests to learn how to safely and properly use a fire extinguisher on small fires. No registration required.

Emergency Preparedness Services and Products Vendors – Participating companies will show their emergency preparedness services and products, answer questions, and some will have on-site sales.

Learn About Volunteer Opportunities – Attendees can learn about a variety of local emergency and safety related volunteer opportunities with Arson Watch, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Malibu Volunteers on Patrol (VOP), and Community Brigades.

Learn About Brush Clearance and Home Wildfire Hardening – Meet the City’s Fire Safety Liaisons, former wildland firefighters, and learn how you can harden your home against wildfire. They’ll teach you how to protect your home from the millions of embers that can fly out more than a mile ahead of a wind-driven wildfire like the Woolsey Fire, and which are a leading cause of homes burning down during a wildfire. The Fire Safety Liaisons can also give you advice on proper brush clearance and making your emergency plans.

Fun and Educational for Kids – The Expo is a great opportunity for kids to learn about emergency preparedness and meet the hardworking law enforcement, fire and rescue professionals who help keep our community safe.

Bicycle/Scooter Safety Rodeo – Safe Moves, a non-profit dedicated to traffic safety education for children and teens, will host a fun Bicycle and Scooter Safety Rodeo, where kids can learn safety tips while riding real bikes and scooters. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, who must sign a waiver.

Touch-a-Truck – Kids can see, touch and get inside specialty emergency and law enforcement vehicles, including a Fire Engine; LA County Sheriff’s Department Search Rescue truck, patrol car, and motorcycle; a California Highway Patrol (CHP) car and motorcycle; a Southern California Edison utility repair truck; and a tow truck.

Mini-Therapy Horses – Pet the adorable Mini-Therapy Horses that bring therapeutic visits to Veterans and crime victims.

Rock Climbing Wall – Fun, free activity for kids and adults.

Food and Desserts – Food will be available for purchase from the In & Out food truck and Tikiz Shaved Ice.

Raffle – Every attendee will receive a free raffle ticket for a chance to win one of many great prizes.

Participating Emergency Services, Products, and Information Booths
-IPS
-Blaze Blockers
-Natural Disaster Survival Products
-Genasys Protect
-National Weather Services (NWS)
-Wildfire Home Protection Service
-Safe Soss
-Brushfire Battle Systems
-Boys & Girls Club Malibu
-Malibu CERT
-Malibu VOP

For more details contact Emergency Services Coordinator Sarah Flores at 310-456-2489, ext. 237 or SAFlores@MalibuCity.org.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—On Saturday, May 11, the city of Beverly Hills will host Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. The event will transpire from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Beverly Hills Fire Department Station #2 located at 1100 Coldwater Canyon. The event is free for the public to attend.

Participants can receive education material and handouts regarding vegetation maintenance, home hardening, fuel modification, and emergency planning.

The city of Beverly Hills indicates on its website that catastrophic brush fires are happening at an increasing rate in the state and across the country. The many hillside communities within Los Angeles are under threat of devastating wildfire. As this risk increases, it is important to plan, prepare, and stay aware.

The “Ready, Set, Go!” program is designed to walk individuals through the steps to take to ensure they are prepared in the case of an approaching wildfire.

Being “Ready” for wildfire starts with maintaining adequate vegetation clearance/maintenance around your home. By following the Beverly Hills Brush Maintenance Program, residents can create an area around their home that is free of dead, dry, and hazardous vegetation. Without this vegetation maintenance, the fire will quickly spread throughout the property and to your home and there is little that can be done to defend it.

In addition to the Brush Clearance Program, individuals can harden the home by using fire-resistant building materials. Flying embers from a wildfire can destroy homes up to a mile away. Individuals should prepare for the possibility of evacuation before the need arrives as a result of a wildfire.

Stay informed by following local media and your Beverly Hills Nixle Alerts via text to BEVHILLS to 888777 to receive text message alerts.

By Trevor

MALIBU—On Monday, October 16, Matt Myerhoff, Media Information Officer for the city of Malibu indicated in an email to Canyon News that the state of California passed a law expanding support for Californians whose properties have been damaged or destroyed by wildfires by allowing them three additional years to rebuild before a full reassessment of their property value is initiated. The bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 8, covers properties destroyed or damaged from the 2018 Woolsey Fire.

“Malibu is still recovering from the devastating 2018 Woolsey Fire, the worst natural disaster in the City’s history, and AB 1500 will offer substantial help and additional time to help property owners whose homes were damaged or destroyed to get through the rebuilding process,” said Major Steve Uhring. “I am grateful for the hard work and leadership of our State lawmakers and Governor who fought to get this protection for fire survivors.”

Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (District 42, Thousand Oaks), whose District includes Malibu, co-authored the Bill with Assemblymember James Gallagher (District 3, Yuba City), and the city of Malibu initiated the legislation.

“Californians who have had their homes significantly damaged or destroyed by wildfires should not be made to suffer more as a result of circumstances outside their control,” said Assemblymember Irwin. “Assembly Bill 1500 provides victims of the Woolsey and Camp fires with the additional time needed to complete reconstruction and retain their base-year property tax values. Today I join with the residents of the cities of Malibu and Paradise in thanking the Governor for signing this legislation into law so the rebuilding of our communities can continue.”

Current law allows California residents whose property was damaged or destroyed by a disaster to apply the base-year value of that property to the home or structure rebuilt on the same site within five years after the disaster, if the rebuilt property is comparable to the damaged or destroyed property. With the extension, specifically for the reconstruction of properties damaged or destroyed in wildfires, it will help homeowners facing difficulty with permitting and construction delays.

Reconstructing a home or business raises additional costs including debris removal, permits, contractors, materials, etc. As a result of COVID-19, owners faced hurdles with the rebuilding process.

For residents of Malibu, the courts were less capable of processing the claims on liability for the Woolsey Fire and to come to a settlement with Southern California Edison, delaying compensation to residents, many of whom relied on that compensation to rebuild.

Malibu homeowners working on Woolsey Fire rebuild projects and need help or information related to the protections that AB 1500 offers can contact the Fire Rebuild Team at 310-456-2489 or email ashah@malibucity.org.

By Trevor

MALIBU—The city is working to help the community prepare for wildfires, earthquakes, and other disasters with its annual Public Safety Expo on Saturday, June 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Malibu City Hall.

“Malibu is vulnerable to many kinds of disasters from wildfires to earthquakes and tsunamis, so it’s our responsibility to be prepared, and the best time to get started is right now,” said Mayor Bruce Silverstein. “I urge every resident, employee, student and business owner in Malibu to join us for the Public Safety Expo to learn how to make a plan and gather supplies so our whole community can be ready and resilient.”

The free event is part of Malibu’s ongoing efforts to help the community be more prepared for wildfires, earthquakes, floods, landslides and any other disasters that nature might bring.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department will provide a presentation about new brush clearance regulations, and the California Department of Insurance will give a presentation on wildfire insurance issues from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. The presentations will be recorded and will be made available to watch on the city of Malibu website and social media.

-New Brush Clearance Regulations – Ron Durbin from the Los Angeles County Fire Department Forestry Division will be speaking on AB 3074, approved by the governor on September 29, 2020, establishes Zone 0, a 5-foot Ember Resistant Zone that may require removal of all flammable materials within five feet of any structure.

-Wildfire Insurance Issues – Armine Sargsyan, the Community Relations Outreach Analyst from the California Department of Insurance, will be speaking and answering questions on insurance issues that affect homeowners in the Very High Fire Safety Severity Zone, which encompasses all of Malibu.

Public Safety Responder Appreciation Day – The event will be a celebration of “Public Safety Responder Appreciation Day in Malibu.” To honor law enforcement and firefighting personnel, as well as the many public safety volunteers including Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Sheriff’s Volunteers on Patrol and Arson Watch, the community is invited to come and show their appreciation by signing a special thank you book that will be presented to each group.

Earthquake Simulator -Take a ride in an earthquake simulator that recreates a realistic and educational experience of a major earthquake inside a house, highlighting the need to make your home more earthquake safe.

“Jaws of Life” Demonstration – The Fire Department will demonstrate a vehicle extraction rescue using the “Jaws of Life.”

Fire Extinguisher Training – Learn how to use a fire extinguisher.

Free Lunch – Coupons for free lunch will be provided to participants in Expo events from two food trucks offering a variety of tasty hot food, including vegan options, and shaved ice. (There will be a Limited supply. Food will also be available for purchase).

Public Safety Specialty Teams and Vehicles; Volunteer Opportunities; Emergency Preparedness Vendors – The Expo is a great opportunity for kids to learn about emergency preparedness and meet public safety and law enforcement professionals in person. Numerous vendors will have emergency preparedness equipment and supplies for sale and demonstration. Learn about a variety of volunteer opportunities with organizations including Arson Watch and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

-LA County Sheriff’s Department K-9

-LA County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad

-Malibu Search and Rescue

-LA County Fire Department

-LA County Animal Care and Control

-LA County Lifeguards

-Arson Watch

-Insurance providers

The vendors, participating agencies and trainings offered at the Expo will be listed on the website.

By Casey

MALIBU—The city of Malibu is offering the next round of the highly popular Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. The series of seven classes will be held Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., April 13 through May 25 in the Multipurpose Room at Malibu City Hall located at 23825 Stuart Ranch Road.

“Malibu is paradise, but we are vulnerable to all kinds of disasters, from wildfires to earthquakes and landslides, so it’s up to every one of us to be prepared to help ourselves, our families and our community,” said Mayor Bruce Silverstein. “CERT training is one of the best ways to prepare for wildfires and other disasters, and helps us be more resilient as individuals and as a community.”

According to a news release from the city of Malibu website, “CERT is a highly-acclaimed, nationwide program that empowers community members to help themselves and their neighbors during disasters.”

Volunteers are trained on basic first aid, fire suppression, and search and rescue to be able to provide emergency assistance to their neighbors.

CERT volunteers assist the city of Malibu to prepare and respond to disasters. During the Woolsey Fire, Malibu CERT volunteers contributed over 300 hours of service to the emergency response by distributing food and medical supplies, conducting wellness checks, assisting with evacuations, and administering basic first aid.

In 2017, the Malibu City Council adopted the official CERT Program Guidelines, an important step in formally incorporating the program and the trained CERT volunteers into the City’s Emergency Management System.

Malibu’s CERT Team members must complete Federal Emergency Manager Agency (FEMA) trainings, serve at least 30 volunteer hours per year, attend regular meetings and drills, and become registered as Disaster Service Workers.

For more details about the CERT program, or to sign up, visit www.MalibuCity.org/CERT or call Public Safety Liaison Luis Flores at 310-456-2489, ext. 236, or email publicsafety@malibucity.org.