Many of us have been talking recently about Fire Department Brush Inspections and “Are any still being done?”.
I started by calling Supervisor Sheila Keuhl’s office who called Division 7’s Acting Assistant Fire Chief Micahel Brown, who kindly answered my questions. He also referred me to Deputy Chief Anthony Maroni who also spent ½ hour with me and then suggested some of my questions would be best answered by Captain Arlin Kahan who was also generous with his time. I would be remiss if I also didn’t thank Senior Secretary Melissa Lambert who straightened me out on everyone’s titles.
Each of the Fire Stations in Malibu has a list of properties that are “Registered” for annual Brush inspections of the urban/wildland interface. Stations # 70, 71, 88, and 99 have a total of 4,111 homes on their “Registered” list. So far this year they have conducted inspections at about 4000+- of them according to the records accessed by Chief Kahan.
Acting Assistant Chief Brown disclosed that this year 130 of those inspected have been cited with additional work required and scheduled for reinspection. Properties are selected for the Registered list by a reference from the Brush Clearance unit and the Fire Captain responsible for the area. The Brush Clearance unit is currently considering expanding their criteria for inclusion in the list. If you or your neighbor is concerned about your state of readiness, the Fire Captain at your local station can schedule an inspection of your property.
All of the Fire Department personnel above emphasized the necessity of proper clearance around your home and doing whatever you can to make your home ember proof.
A few months back, the City of Malibu hired retired Chief Jerry Vandermeulen, formerly of Ventura County Fire, to assist Malibu Residents with fire preparedness as Malibu’s Fire Safety Liason. In addition to meeting with HOA groups, he is also providing individual inspections to help you identify any excess fuel on your property and advise you how to make your home more resistant to wind driven embers. So far, he has provided more than 40 of these individual assessments at no cost to the homeowner. The recommendations are not citations or Fixit tickets. They are solely educational. Sign up for yours today by calling 310-456-2489 extension 387
Please support local restaurants. I went out to dinner last Saturday, which was overcast most of the day. It was obvious that Autumn is here and the crowds are mostly gone. At Tra-Da-Noi we were told about a Monday night promotion aimed at local residents. Have a great meal and help the local restaurants make up a little of what they lost in the ghost town that was post fire Malibu.