Program Origins & History

The Community Brigade program represents a highly innovative evolution of traditional localized volunteer fire brigades combined with government agencies and fire departments operating in a well-defined collaborative manner.

Volunteer Fire Brigades in the Santa Monica Mountains have been around for many years. A few examples include the Monumental Fire Company, formed in 1875 this group rode horses and patrolled the hills in the Malibu and Ventura County geography. In 1925 the Topanga Volunteer Fire and Forestry Department was formed as a community driven effort.  Jumping ahead, following the Corral Fire, Matt Haines and his team created the Corral Canyon Fire Safety Alliance in 2009. In 2010, Dermot Stoker began his work on creating the Malibu West Fire Brigade which became a model for locally focused teams.

The 2018 Woolsey Fire represented a major shift regarding the needs of local communities when faced with the possibility of catastrophic loss where government response resources may not be adequate.

This gap motivated numerous residents to work together in defense of their homes including Paradise Cove where several residents remained to protect structures and created the Paradise Cove Fire Safety “Brigade”.  The Malibu West Volunteer Fire Brigade provided situational awareness and saved several homes. The Point Dume Bombers consisted of a handful of residents and friends who came together to defend homes and provide support. At County Line, local residents worked with fire department resources setting up a staging area and sources of water.

While each of these volunteer brigades and teams worked hard to address the impact of fire on their community the gap between the overall needs of the community and the capabilities of government agencies remained.

A new approach was needed, one that integrated the capabilities of community volunteers with those of government (the fire department) in a manner that could close the gap and provide a unified and structured response across the expansive Santa Monica Wildland Urban Interface geography.

In 2019, the independent report on The 2018 Woolsey Fire: A Catalyst for Change written by Dr. Shirley Jensen, LAEPF Board Member Dr. Steven Jensen, and LAEPF Chairman Brent Woodworth on behalf of the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation (LAEPF) was published which included a detailed roadmap to resiliency, outlining specific high leverage programs that, if implemented, could lead to a cultural shift and a new collaborative approach to wildfire preparedness and response. Specifically, the following high priority program was recommended for implementation:

“Engaging certified local community volunteers trained, properly equipped, and operating with communication and direction from fire command could provide “fire-front-following” support and suppression capabilities needed to address peak load resource requirements while building community trust and confidence.”

This program, originally called “Fire-Front-Following” (a fire department term for the actions being proposed) eventually became the Community Brigade Pilot Program.

With the release of the Catalyst for Change Report, a decision was made by the LAEPF Board of Directors to officially support the creation of the proposed program. The team proceeded with an effort to obtain the operational and legal support of the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Brent Woodworth and Dr. Steven Jensen began exploratory discussions with multiple academic institutions, interested community residents, and government officials. A series of program formulation meetings began led by Brent Woodworth with Chief Drew Smith, LACoFD Liaison Officer Megan Currier, Dr. Steve Jensen, Dr. Shirley Jensen, Mikke Pierson, Jerry Vandermeulen, Terri Pond, and Chris Frost. Over time, additional personnel were invited to join the project advisory team including Dermot Stoker, Matt Haines, Jefferson Wagner, Keegan Gibbs, Colin Drummond, Richard Garvey, Todd Prince, James Grasso, Mike Woodard, Bill Winokur, David Hertz, Jeff Grier, Chris Brossard and others. All of these 22+ individuals contributed to the creation of the Community Brigade pilot program.

The development and approval effort took 5 years with key milestones including gaining the approval of the Firefighters Union Board, the promotion of Anthony Marrone to Chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, collaborative negotiations with Jenny Tam (attorney for LACoFD), monthly presentations, and the unwavering support of LACoFD Assistant Chief Drew Smith.

October 2023, LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath brought forward for approval by the County Board of Supervisors the proposed Community Brigade pilot program partnership between the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation. Receiving unanimous approval, LACoFD Chief Anthony Marrone and LAEPF Chairman Brent Woodworth signed the official Memorandum of Agreement officially launching the Community Brigade Pilot Program.