Fire Safety

UPDATE: GET THE FIRE PREPAREDNESS QUICK GUIDE! 

The City created a Fire Preparedness Quick Guide to provide residents some quick and easy steps to take right now to be prepared for wildfires. The City mailed it directly to each household in Malibu. CLICK HERE to print out or download the Guide. 

SHARED RESPONSIBILTY FOR COMMUNITY WIDE PREPAREDNESS – THE CITY, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND EMERGENCY RESPONDERS

The City Malibu strives for community-wide preparedness for wildfires and other disasters, and that can only be achieved through shared responsibility among the City, the community, and first responders. The City plays a key role in being prepared for emergencies by establishing emergency response plans, coordinating with key stakeholders, allocating resources, and providing information, resources, and support to the community. Meanwhile, the community is responsible for being proactive, educated and informed about potential emergencies, preparing their families and homes, making emergency plans and gathering supplies, evacuating when directed, and participating in drills and exercises. First responders, including law enforcement, firefighters, and medical personnel are constantly planning, coordinating, training, and working to improve their practices to be able to protect lives and properties as they are on the front lines during emergencies. They need the support and cooperation of both the City and the community to effectively carry out their duties. By working together, we all benefit, and lives, homes, and the environment of our community are better protected and more resilient from disasters.

what the city is doing to prepare for wildfire

The City works year-round to prepare and help community members be prepared to prevent wildfires and be ready to respond to the next big wildfire. The City Manager and Public Safety Director meet regularly with the Fire Department and Sheriff's Department to discuss current and forecasted fire conditions, community concerns, and deployment levels in response to wildfire threat factors, such as hot, dry, windy weather, fuel moisture levels, and Santa Ana winds. 

The Fire Safety Liaisons also monitor current fire conditions in Malibu, including weather and fuel moisture levels, and reports them weekly to the City Manager and Public Safety Director. 

The City's Fire Safety Liaisons offer a free Home Wildfire Hardening Assessment. They will visit your home to assess the property's wildfire risk, and provide a checklist of ways that you can harden your homes against flying embers. See details below.

What You Can Do to Be Prepared

Residents should review their family emergency and evacuation plans, and check their "go bags" and emergency supplies to ensure that food, water, medication, and batteries have not expired. If you do not have an emergency plan or supply kits, learn how to get started by downloading the City's free Emergency Survival Guide.

The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains provides a valuable resource for wildfire preparedness. Visit DefensibleSpace.org for detailed tips on what you can do to protect your home and surrounding areas from fire damage through fire-safe building and landscaping. 

Learn to Monitor Wildfire Weather Conditions 
Learn how you can monitor the conditions that determine whether a small brush will erupt into a massive, wind-driven wildfire that can threaten lives, homes and the community, especially during fire season (October - December). You can watch factor such as wind, humidity, temperature, and Santa Ana winds on local news, and by following the National Weather Service (NWS) Los Angeles/Oxnard on social media at  and on their website. There you will see current hazards and you can sign up to receive weather alerts. You can also monitor fuel moisture levels, or, the percentage of water content in local plants on the LA County Fire Department's website. Anything below 60% is considered critical. Learn more.  

(NEW) Be Prepared for Wildfires – Make Your Red Flag Plan 

Wildfire is a natural part of our ecosystem, and it is Malibu’s number one public safety threat. Each fall, the conditions for major wildfires align, putting lives and homes at risk. That’s why it’s crucial that every family create a Red Flag Plan so that when a Red Flag Warning is issued, you’re ready to act quickly to keep yourself and your family safe. It’s also important to know the City, residents, and first responders have a shared responsibility for doing our parts to achieve community- wide preparedness and resilience. 

The good news is, Malibu doesn't have to be caught off guard. We know what time of year Red Flag fire conditions occur. Each year, Malibu experiences 7-8 Red Flag Fire events between October 1 and December 31, totaling 14-18 days of increased wildfire risk. Red Flag conditions are declared by the National Weather Service when humidity drops to 15% or less, and sustained winds reach 25 MPH or more for at least six hours, typically during Santa Ana winds.

To stay safe, it is crucial for Malibu residents to have a Red Flag Plan. Follow the Los Angeles County Fire Department's "Ready, Set, Go" wildfire safety program:

READY:

• Prepare your home by clearing brush, creating defensible space, and hardening your property.
• Create a Wildfire Action Plan that includes evacuation planning for your home, family and pets.
• Assemble an emergency supply kit for each person in your household, with food, water, medication, first aid supplies and other essentials.
• Create a family communication plan that includes important evacuation and contact information.
• Sign up for emergency alerts from the City at MalibuCity.org/Alerts and from LA County at Ready.LACounty.gov/Alerts.
• Create a profile in the City's Everbridge Disaster Notification system at MalibuCity.org/DisasterNotifications (most cell phone numbers and landlines in Malibu are automatically entered, but you can create a profile to add additional contact information and make sure your street address is correct, which helps with evacuation notifications).
• Look up your Malibu Evacuation Zone at Protect.Genasys.com/Search.
• Download the PulsePoint mobile app for real-time fire updates. https://www.pulsepoint.org/

SET:

When Red Flag conditions are forecast, monitor fire conditions and emergency information on local news, have evacuation routes ready, and ensure you're prepared to leave quickly. Check on elderly or disabled neighbors. Get in touch with family and friends to let them know your plans.

GO:

If authorities direct you to evacuate, do so promptly. People with disabilities, or who rely on medical devices or wheelchairs, and owners of horses and livestock should consider leaving the area early when Red Flag conditions are declared.

For more information, visit Fire.LaCounty.gov/RSG. 

Download and print the City's Red Flag Plan flyer.

NOW IS THE TIME TO COMPLETE MANDATORY BRUSH CLEARANCE IN ADVANCE OF JUNE 1 DEADLINE

June 1 is the deadline for mandatory brush clearance. If you have not completed mandatory brush clearance by the deadline, it is crucial to do so, and it can be done up through fire season. Proper brush clearance is one of the most important ways to make you home and the community more resistant to wildfires. If you have not yet completed your brush clearance and need help or information, please contact our Fire Safety Liaisons, we are here to help you. Brush clearance helps create the “defensible space” that firefighters need to safely and effectively protect life, property and the environment. Be sure to complete your brush clearance before the June 1 deadline to avoid fines. For more information including a list of vendors, maps, a video and more, visit the County website.

FIRE SAFETY LIAISONS CAN ASSISIT INTERESTED NEIGHBORHOODS IN ATTAINING FIREWISE USA RECOGNITION

Firewise USA is a free, voluntary program to encourage and assist neighbors to work together in improving wildfire safety and resilience in their neighborhoods. The program provides a simple framework to follow for organizing, planning, and taking action to attain set goals to reduce wildfire risks at the local level. Any neighborhood, HOA, POA, condominium complex, or mobile home park with more than 8 but less than 2500 dwelling units is eligible to apply for recognition status. 

In addition to several items targeted in the City’s Home Wildfire Assessment program, becoming a recognized Firewise USA community is one of the factors that insurance companies must consider for discounts under new Department of Insurance Safer from Wildfires regulations- https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/200-wrr/Safer-from-Wildfires.cfm

 As CAL FIRE designated Regional Coordinators, the Fire Safety Liaisons can help interested neighborhoods through the entire application process to attain Firewise USA recognition. More information on the Firewise USA Recognition program can be found at https://www.readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/firewise-communities/

 For additional information or to schedule an informational meeting for your neighborhood, email Fire Safety Liaison Bradley Yocum at BYocum@MalibuCity.org.

HOME wildfire ASSESSMENTS - learn how to protect your home

During a wildfire, millions of flying, burning embers can rain down on your home and property like hail during a storm. If these embers land in receptive fuels or become lodged in something easily ignited on or near your house, the home may be in jeopardy of burning. Flying embers are a major cause of homes burning down during wind-driven wildfires. This area is commonly referred to as the Home Ignition Zone. 

Visit the online scheduling system to set an appointment for your home assessment.

Watch a video on how your home could survive a wildfire from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In the video, Dr. Jack Cohen, Fire Science Researcher with the USDA Forest Service, explains current research about how homes ignite during wildfires, and the actions that homeowners can take to help their home survive the impacts of flames and embers.