Statistics from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection shows a rapid growth in suppression costs from $12 million in 1979-1980 to an estimated $105 million in 2005-2006 just on suppression expenditures alone.  The cost of property loss, damages, suppression, recovery and rebuilding, not to mention lawsuits, can turn into billions of dollars paid out by insurance companies, federal, state and local governments.  It doesn’t have to be this way. We can have a fire prevention and protection system that will cost tax payers one-eighth of what we have to pay to fight, recover and rebuild.

CFSC's fire prevention and protection plan involves water tanks that hold 1 to 2 million gallons of water and attached water mains that are strategically placed along ridgelines and major roads to protect clusters of homes and neighborhoods in the Santa Monica Mountains/Malibu area.  The new water tanks and mains will connect around the existing system enclosing residential areas that need to be protected during firestorms.  With prepositioned fire breaks and water mains, wildfires can be stopped almost instantaneously by having either the fire department or an elected person from the HOA or other community leader open up a valve when the fires are getting dangerously close. When activated, the system will look similar to a huge network of sprinklers.  The price tag for several water tanks would be approximately $15 million and the installation of all the water mains would cost approximately $20 - 25 million: 20% of the amount spent on fire supression in 2005-2006 alone.

See CFSC's proposed plan by clicking the maps below.

CFSC Plan Overview (large)

Plan overview over satellite image (large)