NICOLE ALBERTSON
Staff Writer
Pepperdine volunteer fighters and few paid workers were sent home from work Wednesday after being informed that the university fire department would no longer be assisting the students and faculty on campus.
Captain David Enriquez of the Los Angeles Country Fire Department Malibu Road Station confirmed that his station received notice of Pepperdine’s new situation without an on-campus department.
In a statement from Pepperdine Public Relations and News, the university said the station was terminated after a review of efficiency that showed the fire station was not the best use of university resources.
The release also said fire trained personnel would remain on campus to oversee fire emergencies, and reallocated funds from the station would be used to hire more Public Safety officers.
While the news has just become public knowledge, students are already speaking out against the decision to discontinue the fire department. A new Facebook group titled “!We Want Our Firemen Back!” has been created, urging the students to save the firefighters’ on-campus status. Created only yesterday, 55 members have joined and are speaking out.
According to a source, who remains anonymous, the announcement of this decision would be revealed over a Wavenet link, if at all, hoping to be overlooked by the majority of students traveling for spring break.
“Students were just going to come back from break and not have a fire department,” the source said. “It’s unbelievable because now if there is any emergency on campus that DPS [Department of Public Safety] is not qualified to handle, it has to go to Los Angeles County,” the source said.
Without a fire department on campus to aid in the inevitable, student accidents and natural fires threatened by Pepperdine’s location, the campus residents will rely on DPS for emergency calls and the response teams of the local Malibu fire stations.
After the most recent fire that swept through parts of Malibu, near Pepperdine in January, threatening Pepperdine and destroying four homes, there has been harsh criticism regarding the reaction of the local fire departments. Councilmember Sharon Barovsky was vocal about her disapproval at council meetings on Jan. 17th and Jan. 24th, but soon clarified her statements to show admiration and respect for the fire stations.
“Pepperdine has a history of fires,” junior Bianca Dulgheru said. “I don’t understand why they closed. With all the fires in Malibu, I think we really need one. I always felt safer knowing they were there.”
The large amounts of brush that surround the Pepperdine campus is a continuous threat that the fire fighters have kept under control for campus safety. Dr. Stephen Davis, professor of biology and plant ecologist spoke to the Graphic in 2005 of the surrounding brush fire dangers.
“Of great concern is that the weeds that invade the area, they are a very fine kindling,” Davis said. “They are a very flashy fuel, very flammable. So they are the kindling or the newspaper that can start the fire.”
The brush clearance is still a controversial topic at Malibu city council meetings regarding policies from the Malibu Local Coastal Program. City policies limit brush clearance only to 100 feet from buildings and structures.
As told to The Graphic in October of 2003 by volunteer fire fighter Jeff Mathias, “Essentially, the campus is a torch and fires move fast up the canyon.”
Malibu Mayor Ken Kearsley has said he thinks this must be increased to 300 feet in order to protect homes.
03-01-2007