Among the countless heroes working to protect Malibu residents against the Franklin Fire is a group of volunteer heroes who’ve stepped up to protect their community.
The newly formed LA County Community Fire Brigade is made up of volunteers who are willing and trained to protect their communities in times of emergencies. Its goal is to help assist firefighters when resources are stretched thin during dire times.
As flames ripped through thousands of acres in Malibu, emergency crews stepped up to the plate and the new team was right there with them. When fires erupt as suddenly as the Franklin Fire, impacted residents are often left feeling helpless. The new volunteer team hopes to remedy that.
“You feel helpless in things here, you don’t have ownership in you don’t have a role in prevention, a role in response,” said Keegan Gibbs, Director of Operations for the LA County Community Fire Brigade. “And for the county to give us the opportunity where we can have a role in that response, role in that preparation, that’s it.”
Gibbs said he and his team have been on the ground helping in the response against the Franklin Fire since it sparked Monday night. It’s a situation that feels all too familiar for many in the volunteer brigade, since several members lost their homes in the 2018
Woolsey Fire.
“My family home, my friends lost homes,” he said.
The heroic efforts of the brigade were acknowledged by Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart and LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
“I’d like to also shoutout to our volunteer brigade, our sheriffs volunteers on patrol and the Malibu CERT team who are helping communities stay safe,” Stewart said. “As I’ve said before, Malibu is a community of volunteers, and our finest at work right now in both our volunteer court and our profession.
“The community fire brigade, the CDCR teams who are enhancing the service that our trained personnel can provide, the way they are stepping in with bravery and courage and providing assistance that is necessary during a time of crisis is extraordinary,” Hovarth said.
There are currently 45 members of the volunteer group. They underwent about 60 hours of training sanctioned by and in coordination with LA County Fire and other emergency officials. It’s a team funded by private donations.
Anyone interested in joining the brigade must be at least 18 years old and be able to lift heavy weights and physical fight a fire.
To learn more about the volunteer effort, click here.
