NICOLE ALBERTSON
Staff Writer
Pepperdine officials closed the on-campus volunteer fire department Feb. 28, leaving campus fire protection up to the Public Safety officers. Up to 24 firefighters, personell and employees were fired when the program discontinued.
After “a lengthy review of the university’s Public Safety Department,” it was concluded that “maintaining a small fire trainee program was not an efficient or effective use of university resources,” according to a university press release.
Director of Public Relations and News Jerry Derloshon, however, said money was not a variable in the final decision.
“It was just greatly redundant,” Derloshon said. “For 90 percent of the calls that the fire department responded to, the Los Angeles fire departments were right there.”
Captain Don Schwaiger from Malibu Fire Station No. 71 spoke of his experience with the volunteer fire department.
“We worked with them a couple of times,” Schwaiger said. “They were very helpful and positive. We worked as a team very well.”
Malibu Fire Station No. 88 located on Malibu Road is the closest fire station and most likely to respond to Pepperdine emergencies. While the station’s firefighters will have to pay more attention to emergencies at Pepperdine, they do not plan on changing any policies.
“This situation doesn’t change anything about our procedures,” Captain David Enriquez said. “We will still respond to any 911 calls made on campus, EMS or fire.”
But the recent fire this past January, destroying four houses on Malibu Road and igniting within feet of Pepperdine, has many students concerned about their safety on campus.
“In light of the recent fire situation in Malibu, I think it is unwise for Pepperdine to discontinue the fire department,” said junior Chai Collins. “They were always the first to respond. Because they were so close to campus we felt safe knowing they were there.”
The Department of Public Safety will be picking up the slack left behind from the missing fire-department. New fire-trained personnel are set to be hired to compensate for absent firemen. While fire-trained personnel have not been brought on staff yet, Derloshon said additional staff will be hired as soon as qualified people are found.
The 1993 fire that consumed Malibu for three days and crisped the edges and buildings of Pepperdine is still vivid in the minds of long-time Pepperdine residents.
Social Science professor Dr. Robert Williams said he remembers the volunteer fire department’s involvement in the 1993 fire.
“They kept watch on the ridge,” Williams said. “The volunteer fire department was good to have on campus, but I don’t know if it was necessary compared to the efforts. The main idea is to have prevention, and Pepperdine is pretty good about that. The experiences with fires in the past prove that we are good with prevention.”
Unlike the students who are questioning the decision to close the fire station, faculty members are standing by the administration.
“I trust the administration’s judgment,” said law professor Dr. Richard Cupp. “It would be a catastrophic thing if a fire burnt anything on campus, so administration must have put a lot of thought into it.”
Cupp, a Baxter Drive resident, also views the fire prevention tactics each year when fire-resistant plants are planted around the buildings and weeds are cut 40 yards into the canyon.
“You can never be 100 percent sure you are safe,” Cupp said. “But I feel confident about the administration with the fire issues.”
Dennis Torres, senior real estate officer for Pepperdine, said the recent closure of the fire department will not affect insurance rates for on-campus living.
“The [Home Owners] Association was insured prior to the existence of the fire department and renewed on that basis … there was no discount factored in for the campus fire department and for the same reason it is likely that the renewal rate will not be affected,” Torres wrote in an e-mail.
Even though students can no longer rely on the volunteer fire department to attend to mishaps that may occur on campus, Pepperdine is prepared for emergency situations, according to Derloshon.
“We are above any standard of reasonable preparedness,” said Derloshon. “We can shelter and place large quantities of people. We have food, we have the water, we have the blankets, God forbid we ever have to use them.”
03-22-2007