Power Down in the Fire Camp 8 Neighborhood

Lightening hit a power line in our neighborhood and it's now draped across Loma Matisse (up in Saddle Peak) and dangling in a tree. Power out INDEFINITELY (SoCal Ed's word) to 350 homes on this mountain...thought I would give you a heads up...
Thx Jaclyn G

EPILOGUE

Thank you to the entire community for pulling together and ensuring our safety. We are so grateful to Camp 8; they have literally saved our lives time and time again - thank goodness they will stay with us.

There were many people who organized this effort, the very first of them being Rob and Pam Fitch. Had they not been hiking up the road one morning and chatted with one of the Camp 8 staff, the community would have NEVER known about this.

Not ones to sit on information for a moment, they immediately picked up the phone to their neighbor, Bob Karpuk. Between the three of them, only 3 hours passed before a flyer was written, printed and on the way to every mailbox they could reach. Momentous thanks go to them for igniting this effort.

When hundreds showed up on Monday evening, we were again wowed by the dynamic Maggie Karpuk. She served as an eloquent and unflappable voice; the community thanks her deeply for the courage, determination and utmost professionalism she displayed through this experience.

LA Times Report LACFD Abandons Plans for Camp 8 to House Inmates

This morning's LA Times Article reflects a dissenting voice among the Las Flores / Top of Piuma residents.  Above reflects the blog traffic from Sunday, January 17 through Tuesday, January 19, 2010.

THANK YOU!

(Content below provided by Alyson Dutch of BDPR)

It was only Friday January 15, 2010 when the community of Malibu learned of the possibility that 100 prisoners, part of the “Fire Suppression Team” program of California, would become their neighbors in a high density residential district with a school as soon as February 25.

According to neighbors who encountered a staff member of Fire Camp 8 on their daily walk, the long term incarcerated felons, displaced by the Mt. Gleason Station Fire of 2009, required living quarters and were scheduled to replace the fire crew long stationed at the facility on the top of Las Flores Canyon. The Camp 8 fire fighters were preparing to move to the San Fernando Valley.

The news spread quickly and not only inflamed a community who felt blindsided, but mobilized a voracious effort to retain their most precious local resource. After the devastating fire of 1993 and 2007 fire that miraculously stopped at Fire Camp 8, the goal of the community was to ensure their ultimate safety. The fire camp is home to one of the only two air fire crews that service Southern California and the only local first responder.

Only two working days later, while the warden of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation scouted the hilltop real estate location, the community was invited to hear the first proactive statement from the County of Los Angeles Fire Department at Station 70 from Assistant Fire Chief Gary Burden. Barely three hours had passed after the meeting culminated, when responses from Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky began to arrive in the email boxes of the hundreds of neighbors who had written complaining of this surprise prison camp installment. Yaroslavsky’s letters noted his “appreciation for the intense feeling that this proposal, and the manner in which it came to [the community’s] attention, [had] engendered.” He continued that “housing [these prisoners] in or adjacent to a residential neighborhood defies common sense.” Yaroslavsky apologized on behalf of the “County family for the manner in which this issue came to the attention of the community.” Finally, Yaroslavsky said, “The Fire Department will pursue other alternatives to the Camp 8 site.”

An attached memo from County of Los Angeles Fire Department Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman stated that he had conversations (that) morning with “Director Robert Taylor of the Probation Department regarding the placement of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation” and that he has “directed the Fire Department staff to cease the assessment of Camp 8 as a possible site for these crews.”

The community of Malibu would like to thank the Los Angeles County Department of Fire, Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, Assistant Fire Chief Gary Burden, and Community Services Representative Maria Grycan for their extraordinarily quick response to the community and ultimate decision to retain one of its most precious resources.

CONCLUSIONS

ThisWeekInMalibu issues this update: "Plans to Consider Malibu Fire Camp 8 in Las Flores Canyon as a Site for an Inmate Fire Camp Have Been Suspended".

In a statement issued late this afternoon, the Supervisor said, “In the Last two days I have spoken to L.A. County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman and asked him to reconsider this proposal. Late this morning, Chief Freeman advised me that he has directed Fire Department staff to cease their assessment of Camp 8 as a possible site for the Department of Corrections crews. The Fire Department will pursue other alternatives to the Camp 8 site”.

Yaroslavsky added,”While these fire crews perform an important public safety service, housing them in or adjacent to a residential neighborhood defies common sense.”

News of the possible relocation of up to 80 convicted felons to this quiet residential neighborhood resulted in a firestorm of protest this past weekend. Some information, which is now being refuted by County sources, indicated that the plan to move prisoners into this Malibu neighborhood was a ‘done deal’ and that dates for the transition had already been set. Rumors swirled throughout the MKL Day holiday weekend and on Monday night approximately 200 local homeowners packed a meeting at a local residence to begin organizing resistance to the proposal.

The Supervisor was appparently caught by surprise by the release of information saying, “…let me apologize on behalf of the County family for the manner in which this issue came to the attention of the community. A matter of this sensitivity and importance to any neighborhood should be vetted and discussed with residents and its elected representatives before getting to this point.” Yaroslavsky added, “In fact, I was not aware of this proposal until I received a call from a newspaper reporter yesterday (Monday) morning. To put it mildly, I was not a happy camper.”

In a letter sent this morning to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman confirmed his decision stating, “I have directed Fire Department staff to cease the assessment of Camp 8 as a possible site for these crews.

Freeman added his willingness to work direclty with neighborhood representatives to announce the decision and to “advise them of our willingness to meet with them to explain the background of this issue should they desire.”

CEASE FIRE!

We have received an official letter from P. Michael Freeman confirming that he has directed the Fire Department Staff to cease the assessment of Camp 8 as a possible site for the displaced inmates of Camp 16.


On behalf of all involved parties, THANK YOU -- to one and all -- for exemplifying the meaning of community.

GENERATE AWARENESS

At last night's meeting, Magda "Maggie" Karpuk offered a stern reminder that we keep a forward momentum on our concern of having inmates housed in such close proximatey to family neighborhoods and local schools.


By centralizing our findings on a blog versus email, we have a better opportunity to direct the public, the media and other concerned parties to the facts as they unfold.

1. Follow this blog & post updates
2. Join the Facebook Fan Page

Hopefully by tonight we will receive template letters which each of us can use to contact officials whose awareness to our concerns we would like to heighten.

"TOO CLOSE" TO FAMILY HOMES

According to real-estate agent, John Snyder, there are approximately 450 homes within a 3-mile radius of the proposed prison.

Consider the number of family homes in close proximity to where the inmates would be housed

This Week In Malibu

Founder of This Week In Malibu, Earl Baer, contributes the following:

"ThisWeekInMalibu.com has heard from Susan Nissman in Supervisor Yaroslovsky's office late this afternoon - her comments, as well as a review of tonight's community meeting, are now posted on our site. We will plan to publish the latest updates on this developing story to our 3,000 Malibu area subscribers on Thursday, so please continue to keep us updated on what you hear so we can get the latest info out to the community."

THE LATEST UPDATES on the "Controversial Inmate Fire Camp":

1. Ms. Nissman's office reportedly learned Friday of the CDCR assessment to find an appropriate place to (temporarily) relocate 80 men (5 trained fire suppressant crews) that were displaced by the Camp 16 fire.
2. While it has been confirmed that the CDCR is evaluating Camp 8, no recommendation has reportedly been made at this time.
3. If the CDCR were to recommend Camp 8, it would still be up to the County to make a final decision.
   
4. Multiple factors including community input, traffic, impact to environment, etc. need to be considered.

Register for Weekly Malibu Community Updates from ThisWeekInMalibu

MEETING SUMMARY (part I)

Tomorrow we should have a list of committees that were formed and the contact information for the people who will actively spearhead each area for which we need focus.

In the meantime, here is a quick recap:

1. Over 100 people attended the meeting. Names, Email & Phone contacts gathered for distribution. If you would like to add your name to the list, please send an email to beauFX@regard.com
2. All information will continue to be centralized on this blog. You should consider "following" the blog with Google Friend connect. This will notify you by email every time the blog is updated. You may follow anonymously. The point is our collective numbers matter. We have analytics to show the online engagement. (We have posted examples of the engagement since starting this blog on Saturday.)
   
3. A press release is being drafted by Brown & Dutch Public Relations (PDPR) with the intent to get a commitment -- in writing -- from the LA County Supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky that Fire Camp 8 will not house inmates.
4. We will post templates for the community to use for their own outreach to public officials. Each denizen should (i) write; (ii) call; (iii) email said representatives in order to create an initial landslide of pressure and communication. All three actions should be taken by each of us.
5. A list of all politicians, community leaders, members of the fire fighting community and other influencers will be created with the email and mailing addresses of said parties.
6. We WELCOME your blog contributions. We are interested in learning what you know. We now have volunteers who will fact check your information for the purpose of ensuring that all information posted here is up-to-date and correct.
   
7. Though we have earned some media attention, our focus and efforts must remain concentrated to ensure the safety of our CHILDREN and community.
   

Los Angeles County Supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky Makes A Call

According to Elizabeth Rafeedie, Los Angeles County Supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky made a personal call to her tonight. The purpose of his call was to communicate the following:

1. The CDCR was communicating with Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman without the involvement of the Los Angeles County Supervisor
2. Mr. Yaroslavsky's office had not been aware of the conversations between Chief Freedman and the CDCR. It was the fliers we created and the angyy citizen calls that brought his attention to this matter.
3. Before an inmate fire camp is put in operation, it is typical that the community is asked to support it's placement.

Further, Mr. Yaroslavsky communicated that there were two main reasons Camp 8 was NOT an ideal site for this inmate camp:

1. Proximity to the neighbors
2. Traffic on Las Flores Canyon

At the conclusion of his call, Mr. Yaroslavsky asked that she help quash the rumours about the possibility of having Camp 8 run as an inmate facility. Additionally he shared how important programs like this are for the state of California, and is hopeful that his efforts can get the support of the community.

VOTING "NO" ON PRISON PLAN

Our fellow neighbor, Joshua Malina garners attention from the press. According to this celebrity justice article, Josh states:

It is deeply disturbing to think that such an extreme decision would be made without any interaction with the residents here.

Los Angeles County Supervisor, Zev Yaroslavsky, today said plans were "very much in the preliminary stage," so much so that he had not yet received a recommendation on it from County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman. He also stressed that no plan would go forward without public input.

"The camps need to have community support," Yaroslavsky said. "If they don't want it, other alternatives will have to be found."

According to the LA TIMES article, The Fire Chief and his agency have been looking at nearly a dozen possible locations that could serve as a new home to Camp 16 inmates. Camp 8 was reportedly proposed just last week, and the officials are still in the process of conducting an assessment into whether it fits the criteria from corrections officials.

The Malibu facility could be used for up to 2 years until a replacement is found, or built.

FAQs

WHAT IS A "CONSERVATION CAMP"?
A conservation camp is a facility jointly run by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) that houses low risk inmate crews that are trained to fight fires, floods and other emergencies.
There are 37 CDCR/CDF conservation camps in California that provide a ready workforce of nearly 4,000 inmate firefighters. CDCR and CDF have operated conservation camps together for 60 years.

ARE THE INMATES DANGEROUS? They are "low end" minimum custody inmates. The program automatically excludes inmates who are kidnappers or child molesters. Those inmates with any arson on their record are also automatically disqualified. The majority of the inmates are service time for drug-related and property crimes.
Throughout their stay at a conservation camp, inmate firefighters are constantly evaluated by CDCR and CDF staff. Any infractions that indicate an inmate firefighter is no longer suitable for the program immediately lead to their expulsion.

WHAT KIND OF SUPERVISION WILL THE INMATES HAVE? A conservation camp has its own law enforcement unit comprised of CDCR correctional officers who supervise the inmates around the clock while they are "in camp." When the crews are on emergencies or work projects, the inmates are supervised by CDF Fire Captains.

HOW LONG ARE THE INMATE FIREFIGHTERS ASSIGNED TO A CONSERVATION CAMP?
The average time an inmate firefighter spends in a conservation camp is approximately 8 months. But some inmates have served up to 5 years in the conservation camp program.

WHERE DO THE INMATE FIREFIGHTERS GO WHEN THEY ARE DONE SERVING THEIR SENTENCES?
The inmates are paroled back to their county of commitment and should not be released in Malibu.

WHAT WILL THE INMATE FIREFIGHTERS DO WHEN THEY ARE NOT FIGHTING FIRES OR OTHER EMERGENCIES?
The crews work on public projects such as brush clearing, maintenance and clearn up for a variety of federal, state and local agencies. After work hours inmates can participate in programs such as "Alcoholics Anonymous" and "Narcotics Anonymous" which are held on site at the campus. The inmate firefighters also spend time on hobbies such as wood working. Bible study groups are also commonplace as are on-site libraries.

HOW ARE THE INMATE FIREFIGHTERS TRAINED?
Once the inmates are classified as being suitable for the camp program, CDCR puts them through rigorous fitness training. Once they complete the fitness training, CDF provides fire specific training. If the inmates pass this training, they are assigned to a fire crew at a conservation camp and continue to receive safety and other types of training for the duration of their assignment.

HOW MANY CREWS WILL BE AT THE CAMP?
Right now this number is unclear. Local sources say 80, however camp 16 housed 110 inmates. Given similar numbers at other camps, this number provides for enough personnel to staff five 17-crews. Additional inmate firefighters are assigned to the camp as cooks, mechanics and in camp maintenance workers. On day-to-day work projects like emergencies, CDF fire captains supervise the 17 person fire crews.

ARE THE INMATES FREE TO COME & GO AS THEY PLEASE?
Absolutely not.

HOW MANY ESCAPES OCCUR EACH YEAR?
The average number of escapes from conservation camps is 7 per year statewide. The re-arrest is 99.1%

WHERE DID YOU GET ALL OF THESE FACTS?
See Here

PROS & CONS

A local Malibu source today shared that the use of Fire Camp 8 as a minimum security prison may only be implemented as a temporary solution until Fire Camp 16 is rebuilt.

According to this source, no decision by the CDCR has been reached, and it is reasonable to believe that the Fire Chief will ultimately be the one to recommend -- or not -- the use of Fire Camp 8.

If our site is NOT USED, we will lose 5 trained crews who would otherwise be able to help in the event of a natural disaster.

In terms of impact, the pros & cons on our local community have to be examined from both sides of this situation.

HISTORY of Camp 8

For those who care about the history of Fire Camp 8, here are some photos taken in and around 1966.

Thanks to Andy for sharing this link with us!

MEETING (Monday January 18) at 7pm

There is a concern that there is no need for a meeting this evening. This is NOT TRUE. We need to coordinate our efforts and make sure everyone is aware of the basic information and our options around it.

For example, when we ask the fire-fighters within Fire Camp 8 about the prison, we are putting them at risk of losing their jobs. It does us and them no good to bombard them with our concerns when they are not at liberty to share details. All of our questions need to be directed to the Fire Chief and governmental personnel.

Despite the rain, PLEASE JOIN US AT THE MEETING TONIGHT AT 7PM.

DATES TO BE AWARE

This section will be updated daily, as we learn more

• 01/19/2010: - During this week the Prison Warden is visiting to finish final details of the complex
• 01/19/2010:- The California Department of Corrections will measure for the fences. Barbed wire will be part of the fencing
  
• 02/21/2010: - Inmates arrive to facility
  

IMPACT ON COMMUNITY

Photo taken from concerned Malibu neighbor's yard, depicting the proximity of her house to the Fire Camp.

The impact on our community is palpable. Consider these top three concerns:

SAFETY: The fire camp will now house inmates, like this 28-year old man who escaped from a MINIMUM security fire camp and broke into the home of a sheriff's deputy, stealing his vehicle, a uniform and WEAPONS. There are multiple other examples of similar incidents, such as seen by this 30-year old man who simply walked away from his minimum security camp.

No one should place a minimum security prison, near a school or family neighborhood. This affects the New Roads School, as much as it does the neighbors. We need to get their representatives involved too.

PROPERTY VALUE: Clearly there will be a drastic reduction of property value with a corrections facility next door. No one expected to live next door to a corrections facility.

TRAFFIC: The camp is proposed to be a 7 day a week IN and OUT facility -- using all roads, Piuma, Stunt, Las Flores, Rambla Pacifico. The fire camp does not have adequate facilities to handle over 100 inmates PLUS all staff for the septic system.

Beyond the inmates, guards and fire-fighters, consider the number of visitors who will now frequent our neighborhood.

After Rambla Pacifico fell, our community was left with inadequate access for fire suppression. The additional facility traffic will not only reduce the quality of our roads, increase travel times, etc... it will also inhibit fire response and our ability to evacuate or move safely in the event of an emergency.

INMATE FIRE SUPPRESSION CAMPS

According to this legal document (on page 8):

If staffing adjustments and/or camp closures become a necessity, either party (LAC Fire Department or the CDCR) shall notify the other in writing 60-days prior to the effective date of the change and the CDCR shall reduce the camp inmate population accordingly....

Additionally, according to this document Fire Camp 8 was not identified to house inmates.

1. Fire Camp #11 (Acton) houses 80 inmates
2. Fire Camp #13 (Malibu) houses 100 inmates
3. Fire Camp #4 (Francisquito) houses 80 inmates
4. Fire Camp #16 (Mt. Gleason) was the camp that burned, it held 100 inmates
5. Fire Camp #19 (Julius Klein) houses 120 inmates

The fact that Camp #8 (our neighborhood camp) was not designated to house inmates may work in our favor.

There are two types of inmate fire camps. The first is a LEVEL I camp "without a secure perimeter" housing, and the other is LEVEL II "with secure perimeter fences and armed coverage."

SUMMARY OF MALIBU INMATE CAMP

According to a local Malibu Source, Fire Camp 8 will be modified to hold 80+ prisoners for "fire suppression" training. This has been confirmed by representatives from the Fire Camp as well.

Fences (like the one pictured) will be built to restrain inmates, dorms will be refashioned for incarceration and there will no longer be community access to the camp. The helicopter will remain as will all current fire personnel.

This decision was made by the Los Angeles Fire Department at the request of the California Department of Corrections (CDCR) after another the corrections facility at Mt. Gleason was destroyed.

According to our local Malibu source:

The state will pay approximately $3 million for use of the camp. Since it is National Park Service land this use must conform with the lease between the Federal government and Los Angeles County. It appears to be a cost saving effort by CDCR.

I have been able to confirm is that commencing July 2006 and continuing through June 30, 2011 the Fire Department receives an annual reimbursement from the CDCR at about $8.3 Million dollars.

The District negotiated and the CDCR approved to reimburse the District approximately 83% of the program's annual operating costs, including salary and employee benefits for the District's assigned staff and indirect cost to maintain 5 fire suppression camps.

Fire Camp 8 - What we know so far

Sitting at my home office desk, I have a gorgeous view of the sunrise.  As the sun comes up each morning, I first see the silhouette of the Santa Monica Mountains, then watch as the sparkling Santa Monica lights dissipate and the sun illuminates Fire Camp 8 directly across the canyon.

One of the many reasons my wife and I selected this mountain top paradise to raise our three children was the knowledge that trained emergency professionals and a LA County helicopter where 3 or 4 minutes from our front door.

When we purchased our home, we understood the designation of Fire Camp 8 to be "Camps II" whereby a portion of the occupants were released prisoners on probation and could be trained and receive pay for fighting wildfires.

Wikipedia definitions of Fire Suppression Camp Sections

It seems that unbeknownst to the ENTIRE surrounding community, local politicians and newspapers, that the designation for Fire Camp 8 has now been changed to "Camps I" and will be converted to house inmates in February 2010.

In our community, when our kids are playing outside, our biggest worry is the treat of local wildlife (coyotes, rattlesnakes or GOD forbid mountain lion.)  

Opening a PRISON smack in the middle of our community opens all of our families up to a whole new host of treats:

• Escaped inmates seeking refuge.
• Inmate visitors committing crimes of opportunity.
• Increased traffic on our steep windy roads causing accidents and delays.

The one clear benefit is to have a team of trained responders when the next wildfire occurs in our area.

There are two things about which we can be certain; (i) There will be more fires in Malibu and (ii) inmates will absolutely escape from Fire Camp 8 if we allow them to house inmates!  I’ll take the occasional threat of fire over the everyday threat of convicts and their visitors any day of the week!