Fire prevention is a partnership between the fire department, law enforcement, homeowners and businesses.
That was the message given by L.A. County Fire Assistant Chief Drew Smith and Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station Captain Jennifer Seetoo, who were the guest speakers at the Calabasas Chamber’s meeting September 19.
Seetoo was the First Incident Commander during the Woolsey Fire, and Smith is known as a “fire whisperer” among his peers.
“We worked together during the Woolsey Fire,” explained Smith. “And no where else in American history did 250,000 people safely evacuate due to fire.”
He pointed out that the three fatalities during that conflagration were due to people staying in their homes – after an evacuation had been ordered.
“We have all the equipment to fight fire – engines, bulldozers, helicopters – but when Mother Nature gets angry she can outpace us all,” he said. “When you’re told to get out, get out!”
Seetoo expounded on the partnership theory. “You know what we can do for you,” she told business owners and homeowners. “Now that’s what you can do for us. Without a partnership we all fail. If we are dealing with people who didn’t evacuate, we’re being distracted from doing our job.”
She said that residents can help by actually having a plan in place in case of a fire or emergency. Both the Sheriff and Fire Departments are also pushing schools to add “Red Flag” days to the schedule, so when fire is a strong possibility, such as during Santa Ana winds, students could learn at home that day.
They gave the same push to the business community, allowing employees to work from home on danger days.
Both Smith and Seetoo stressed the need for homeowners and businesses to also have their own fire fighting tools – a backup generator or power source in case of utility shut off. Portable battery operated radios. A home that has defensible space around it. A system like Starlink for Internet. NOAA’s long-range walkie-talkies for communication or EPIC Calabasas’ free ham radio system.
Another big concern was getting fire and emergency information from legitimate sources. “Social media vomits out false information,” said Smith. “So we get calls and spend a lot of time unraveling that. We got phone calls during the Woolsey Fire asking, “How bad is it?’ If you’re dragging your feet it could be too late.”
Smith added that embers can fly way in advance of a fire, and start another blaze. “Thinking that a fire is too far away is a mistake.”
Downloading the Watch Duty app will tell you when fire breaks out in your zone. Know your zone by visiting Genesis Connect, the L.A. City mapping program.
Los Angeles’ Office of Emergency Management is also a valid source for information and resources on how to make your home safe.
“The most important thing is early detection,” said Seetoo. She said that the Sheriff’s Department now has a real-time watch center, the first in the nation. The privately funded center pulls in all business and public safety camera feeds, including from 35 fire cameras all over the Santa Monica Mountains, so they now know what’s happening as it happens. They also just got drones to survey the encampments in the mountains and get those people to safety and prevent possible camp fires.
It’s all part of working together to fight fires. “We can’t be effective – can’t help you – unless you’re ready on your end,” reiterated Smith.
