Abstract
Heightened wildfire activity and concurring wildfires has placed enormous stress on California’s emergency response system. Communities in fire prone areas have an imperative to re-imagine their relationship to fire response and become active participants in mitigation and response. In the wake of the Woolsey Fire, the Malibu Community Brigades was formed in response to the finding that many community members—when able—preferred to remain and defend their own properties. The brigade underwent fire mitigation and response training and was recognized by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The brigades are now recognized by LA County Fire and respond with the fire authorities to local fire events. The devastating Palisades fire in January 2025 provided an opportunity to examine the brigade’s impact. This paper addresses the impact of this fire response mechanism which bridges the government-community divide and harnesses the power and resources of formerly separate sectors in fire response. Drawing upon interviews, observations, and real-time data of the brigade’s activities during the fire response, we provide insights into the impact of the community brigade on the Palisades fire response and outcomes in the Malibu community. The implications of this research are two-fold. First, this study will enhance our understanding of hazard and emergency response capabilities within communities. Second, it will provide insights into the efficacy of collaborative community-focused disaster response.
Presenters
Sara O'connorLecturer, Geography, California State University, Long Beach, California, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Disaster Response, Shared Governance, Fire, Collaboration
