CAITLIN WHITE
Assistant Living Editor
You heard from your friends who were stranded on and off campus during the fire. You heard from the administrators about the steps they took to keep us safe. But now, listen to the voices outside our campus who see the other side of the flame, who head toward instead of away from fire. Step into the flame-retardant boots of the men who put their own safety, sleep and lives on the line to fight the fires that plague this sun-kissed town.
Firefighter Paramedic Robert Sales, who has worked in Malibu for three and a half years was one of the first to respond to the Canyon Fire early Sunday morning.
“Luckily we were already up on Sunday morning. A lot of these houses around here have fire alarm systems, and because of the high winds we were getting a lot of false alarms,” Sales said.
The fire originated from downed power lines just south of the Malibu tunnel, and flames quickly spread toward Malibu Crest, and the Serra Retreat Center. Because of the unpredictability and strength of the fire, the focus was to keep the fire away from structures. The major structures that were lost in the fire were Castle Kashan and Malibu Presbyterian.
“If we hadn’t gotten a lot of rigs up there so quickly, we could’ve easily lost that whole neighborhood,” he said.
Malibu is prepared, as the residents take steps to promote safety and the fire fighters are ready.
“Fires like this aren’t much of a surprise,” said Marty Skultety, the engineer for Fire Station 88, Malibu’s own fire department. The abundance of dry brush and steep canyons combined with the erratic Santa Ana winds is unfortunately the perfect recipe for disastrous and vicious wildfires, such as the one that swept through Malibu last week.
“You seem to see the same thing every couple of years — it’s like déjà vu,” he said.
Skultety has been with Fire Station 88 for 15 years and has worked to fight fires for 33 years. As engineer, he deals specifically with the fire trucks and other vehicles.
An added danger of the Southern California region is the innocent looking palm tree, a deadly weapon when aflame, said Firefighter Paramedic Richard Pauwels.
“If you were trying to construct a way to spread fire, you couldn’t come up with a better design than palm fronds,” said Pauwels. “They’re like napalm but worse.”
The Canyon Fire, in retrospect, was dealt with fairly quickly, especially as California turns its eyes to the destruction and tragedy that San Diego is now facing.
Aside from Station 88, another located on Carbon Canyon. An extensive backup system for emergencies like this, if nothing else, the past has taught Malibu that abundance is best.
“For a fire like this, we start off with seven engines, two fixed wing air crafts, four helicopters, and a hand crew, so we have a lot of resources that we can mobilize quickly,” Sales said, “Our organizational structure is better around here than compared to like, Katrina, because even as our first team was arriving, we already had a second alarm out, which meant an entirely new team was on the way too.”
The Captain of Station 88, A.J. Cunningham, also arrived on the scene Monday morning at about 8 a.m. He was returning from another nearby fire call.
“It’s especially dangerous around here because the canyons funnel fire up just like a chimney,” Cunningham said, “We were working downtown, and there were a lot more flying embers than usual from the shopping center. This fire was really close to home for us, it was so close to our station.”
The station is a home away from home for the firemen, who usually work 24-hour shifts. Yet, this is the lifestyle they chose and obviously love.
The bond between these men is evident, even as they joke around and cleverly interrupt one another, each cite their reason for entering into this profession as an earnest desire to help people.
“I felt like this was an opportunity to literally save people’s lives, so that made it the most worthwhile career to me,” Sales said.
For Captain Cunninghman, firefighting seemed an obvious choice; his father was a Ventura County Fire Captain, so his decision was largely influenced by that.
“It was kind of in the family,” he said.
Cunningham also echoed the sentiments of Pauwels and Sales, and said he thinks the reasons they gave are the primary reasons for every man at the station.
“That is the number one reason we’re all here, to help and to make a difference, and that’s the way it should be,” he said. “Aside from those, you also end up spending about a third of your live with these men, they become almost like another family.”
The dedication, sleep deprivation and bravery of the fire fighters of not just Station 88, but from all over California, helped Malibu and Pepperdine survive yet another fire with minimal damage and zero injuries. The firemen cite support from the community around them as half the battle.
“It’s not just us,” Sales said, “The support from Malibu is phenomenal, it’s like nowhere else I’ve ever worked.”
As Malibu turns it’s attention toward rebuilding it’s charred hills and singed buildings, the adrenaline and fear of last Sunday will slowly subside, but Fire Station 88 will still be poised for action, whether it’s 5 a.m., 5 p.m., or five days straight without sleep.
11-01-2007
