MALIBU—After two brush fires, the city is in preparation mode for the fire season. Fire crews are doing their best to make sure they are prepared as well as Malibu residents. 

A brush fire occurred in Westlake Village and another near the Ventura Freeway in Calabasas. The preparation started with the  hiring of a new fire liaison, Chris Brossard. The Malibu Times reported that Brossard stressed the importance of trimming back any unnecessary vegetation and avoid burning wood chips too close to homes.

The city of Malibu recommends residents that they are making sure their house numbers are visible and not covered by overgrowth. They can take photos and videos of all their personal items for documentation and create an emergency plan and sign up for text alerts from the city. 

The city has new evacuation plans that split the city into four zones, and they should be studied thoroughly. 

The city of Malibu reported on its website in May 2020, the world’s largest firefighting helicopter, the Chinook 47, with a capacity of 3,000 gallons, was tested at 69 Bravo Helistop, and are ready to respond to Malibu area wildfires. Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura County Fire Departments have each secured the use of a Chinook 47 for this coming fire season beginning June 15.

All three helicopters will be based within 14 minutes flight time of 69 Bravo. To accommodate the Chinook 47’s larger capacity, 69 Bravo’s four self-replenishing 6,000-gallon rubber/vinyl water containers, or “Pumpkins,” are being upgraded to new 8,000-gallon metal containers.

Watch a video of water-dropping helicopters filling up at Bravo 69

69 Bravo Helistop is located near the top of Saddle Peak Road with 360 degree views of the surrounding area. The refilling facility for water-dropping firefighting helicopters has 10,000 gallons of water onsite in self-replenishing tanks, including hookups to fire hydrants and water storage.

Being located in the Santa Monica Mountains, 69 Bravo allows helicopters to drop water, turn around, re-fill, and quickly get back to the blaze, providing a crucial resource for the Los Angeles County Fire Department to be able to protect Malibu from its number one public safety threat.

For more details about Bravo 69, including live streaming webcams, videos and photos, visit http://www.69bravo.com.

Written By Mary Kathryn Grill and Casey Jacobs