Wildfire Protection Plan Meetings to Resume

• Neighborhood Approach Tailors Preparedness to Needs

BY BILL KOENEKER

Local meetings of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan are scheduled to resume in January, according to a recent press release.
The series of meetings targeted for many of the local neighborhoods was started in October and will resume next month.
The sessions are an effort to offer the public a greater opportunity to provide input by identifying what residents consider priority projects that would help prepare their homes, neighborhoods and communities for wildfire according to organizers.
The public’s contribution is described by organizers as useful in the development of a wildfire plan for the approximately 100,000 acres within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
The wildfire protection plans are also considered useful by federal officials, who want to earmark the many options to identify community needs with regard to prevention, preparedness, prevention, and wildfire response.
Organizers insist the focus of the meetings and “one of the main objectives,” is to engage in discussion with locals to determine priorities and strategies to address the threats of wildfire to each of the local neighborhoods.
Residents are encouraged to attend the next set of meetings scheduled for specific communities and neighborhoods.
“If they are not able to attend their own local meeting, residents may attend a different meeting to learn about fire safety and the protection plan. Community priorities will only be discussed for specific areas at the meeting noticed in that area,” a press release stated.
Upcoming meetings can be found in the Malibu Surfside News calendar section and may be located on the municipal website www.ci.malibu.ca.us/calendar/index.cfm/fuseaction/group/groupid/3/