City Council to Take Closer Look at Fire Response Procedures

• May Consider Forming a Blue Ribbon Panel or Some Other Forum for Public Review

BY BILL KOENEKER

Although it was not on the agenda, the Malibu City council discussed last week at a special meeting how the Malibu Road fire might have been handled better.

The council had been urged on by local resident Anthony Shafer to form a blue ribbon committee, or other kind of panel, to study the procedures and response times for the Los Angeles County Fire Department during the Jan. 8 conflagration.

“I would like to see a change in protocol. Twenty minutes after the fire, there was still no fire truck on Malibu Road,” said Councilmember Sharon Barovsky, who lives on Malibu Road.

At a previous council meeting, the members were told by Assistant Fire Chief for Division 7 Reginald Lee that protocol requires that the first response to the fire is to send a unit to the origin of the fire, which was at Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu Canyon Road. The council also was told that the first word of the fire came from someone who went to the Malibu Road fire station to report it.

Fire department officials affirmed that everything was done correctly and by the book.

“Somebody should have known which way the wind was blowing,” said Mayor Ken Kearsley, referring to the Santa Ana winds that were blowing at the time and pushing the fire down the bluff and toward Malibu Road and the structures which caught on fire.

“Where was the fire truck?” asked Barovsky, echoing complaints that, because of protocol, engine companies got to the burning structures too late. “We shouldn’t have lost a home,” said Barovsky, making some of the most critical comments yet by public officials about how the fire was fought by the department.

Councilmember Jeff Jennings talked about creating some kind of accessway at the westernmost end of Malibu Road to get emergency vehicles onto Malibu Road from that direction.

Since the fire discussion was not on the agenda, the council could not take any action but agreed to schedule the issue for a future meeting.

Members also asked Shafer to help coordinate efforts, especially by bringing as many fire department personnel and other officials to the table.

CROSS CREEK ROAD

In other action, the council reviewed the design plans for the so-called Cross Creek Road improvements. A $2 million project that will realign the main street of Malibu, create diagonal parking, increase pedestrian access and add additional traffic calming measures to the street.

Plans call for the removal of the existing street and discontinuous sidewalks. The existing roadway will be replaced with what is described as a “gently winding, serpentine, street.” New pedestrian walkways and appropriate street furniture will be installed, according to planning officials. The new street will eliminate the existing center turn lane, thereby reducing the paved width and increasing the parkway area. Parking will be diagonal.

Project manager Bow Bowman said the money from several different sources has already been allocated and the planned start day has been delayed from April until after Labor Day.

Council members, who did not appear to be pleased with the plans, which were previously approved and submitted to various municipal commissions and panels, expressed concerns about the loading and unloading of delivery trucks, and the placement of cross walks, among other issues.

Jennings may have nevertheless summed up the dilemma in tampering with the project at this point. “This project is way down the road and ready to go. I’m not willing to revise the project,” he said.

Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich suggested Cross Creek Road could be shut off at different times and utilized as a pedestrian zone. Existing driveways could be used to get traffic in and out of the shopping centers, she said. “We could do it on a pilot basis.”

The staff, including Bowman and City Manager Jim Thorsen, indicated the council’s concerns could be addressed easily especially about the placement of cross walks and other issues. “I think we have a clear understanding from the council,” the city manager concluded.

BLUFFS BEAUTIFICATION

Additionally, the council earmarked $10,000 for funding what the council called Malibu Bluffs beautification. The idea came about when Conley Ulich asked the council to consider allocating funds with the possibility of creating murals at the Park. She wanted the council to consider commissioning an artist to paint a mural at the park.

Members stopped short of commissioning any work, but did express the desire to spend money to spruce up the park.

In another park related matter, the council agreed to consider setting aside more money for the proposed Trancas Canyon Park.

Barovsky asked that the matter be referred to the council’s administration and finance subcommittee for consideration.

The city still needs $2.5 million to complete the design, plans and construction of the park.

It was supposed to be a directive to the planning staff for how to proceed with various zoning laws that are assigned to the department for the upcoming year.

By the time the majority of the council deleted several items on the priority list, most of the items not already initiated were proposed zoning changes sought by Conley Ulich, including green building standards, a public arts program and a formula retail ban.