Publisher’s Notebook

• Some Malibuites Send Misplaced Message •

ANNE SOBLE

As The News went to press last week, a maelstrom of outrage erupted among some of the residents of the upper Rambla Pacifico/Las Flores area in opposition to the possibility that Camp 8 might be used to temporarily house inmates specially selected for firefighting training. The timing of the lobbying campaign didn’t allow other residents in the area, who know the important role these individuals play in fighting wildfires, to present their point of view.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day no less, this small group of vocal Malibuites provided an example of why the community is often perceived by the outside world as elitist and xenophobic. These same residents would clamor for trained ground crews if their homes were engulfed in flames, but it appears that these crews are only acceptable if they have been bused in from somewhere else. What do these residents think about the inmates who become full-fledged county firefighters? Should they be prohibited from being assigned to Malibu stations? In 2010, this has the unfortunate ring of some of the most unsavory aspects of the nation’s history.

That the residents who rushed to judgment may have been exhibiting fear and ignorance of the role of these crews is not too strong an indictment. They do not speak for those in eastern Malibu, or others throughout the rest of the community, who know the importance of the camps that are located in western Malibu and Malibu Canyon when wildfires rage. Anyone who has ever watched these well-trained men and women do risky, demanding and gritty groundwork gives them the respect they deserve.

In 1993, after a night of watching backfiring by the valiant engine companies ensconced on our property, my family tried to catch some sleep in the smoky haze. We were awakened by the sound of singing. The melodic sounds were accompanied by the clamor of chain saws and axes at work. When I went outside, a crew of Camp 13 inmates were removing smoldering branches and churning up plant roots that might harbor embers. Those of us in the firestorm’s path don’t often get to thank those who make a difference in protecting our homes. We had already thanked the firefighters before their engines headed out, but now we were also able to show appreciation to the inmate crew that was doing the mopping up that is so critical in wildfire’s aftermath.

A public apology to the crews and the firefighters who join the county after their time at a camp ends is in order from those who generated the hysteria. These crews serve the public when they are needed. That a few people can speak so ill of men and women to whom Malibu owes its gratitude dishonors not only the crew members, but also the rest of us.