Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation

05/20/2026

Grateful for the dedicated Community Brigade members patrolling the Sandy fire in our truck. Thank you for your service- Kate Buckwald, Craig Irwin, & Brent Woodworth.

05/16/2026

Topanga is one of the most beautiful and unique communities in Los Angeles County—but living in our canyon also comes with responsibility. Wildfire is part of our reality, and protecting lives, homes, and natural resources requires a prepared, trained, and connected community.

The Community Brigade is recruiting new Field Brigade members who are ready to move from concerned residents to trained community protectors.

As a Brigade member, you will receive more than 100 hours of comprehensive field training designed to prepare you for real-world conditions. Members learn essential wildfire safety, field operations, communications, situational awareness, and how to work as part of a coordinated team under official authorization of LACoFD.

You will also gain valuable knowledge about home hardening and wildfire risk reduction—practical steps that help make homes more resistant to embers, radiant heat, and fire exposure. This knowledge not only helps protect your own home, but also gives you the ability to share meaningful preparedness information with neighbors.

By helping harden one home at a time, Brigade members strengthen the entire canyon. Each prepared home becomes part of a larger community defense strategy and serves as a force multiplier during a fire incident. When more residents understand home hardening, defensible space, and ember-resistant practices, Topanga becomes safer and more resilient.

Field Brigade work is challenging, rewarding, and deeply meaningful. It builds camaraderie, confidence, and a stronger connection to the community we all love.

Brigade members are provided specialized Personal Protective Equipment, and participants are asked to provide their own wildland fire boots.

The next Firefighter II Academy begins June 6.

Field team members must be at least 18 years old and in good physical condition.

Your canyon needs you. Bec

Topanga is one of the most beautiful and unique communities in Los Angeles County—but living in our canyon also comes with responsibility. Wildfire is part of our reality, and protecting lives, homes, and natural resources requires a prepared, trained, and connected community. The Community Brigad...

05/14/2026

LAEPF Community Brigade attended the Topanga & Malibu Large Animal Community Meeting where Chief Smith, LACoFD & Captain Carr, LASD Lost Hills spoke about protocols for Red Flags the importance of having a plan in place before the fire.

Animal Control & Megan Silveira, Pierce College Shelter Manager discussed the importance of practicing with your animal loading & unloading into your trailer. Document the order each of them load. And remember- chip all your animals.

05/11/2026

From friends of LAEPF’s Community Brigade. Sharing this event for those in the community.

05/07/2026

LA Sheriff’s Lost Hills Open House last Saturday. Community Brigade has our Type 6 on display & sign ups for new Brigade Academy members along with HIZs.

05/01/2026

This Saturday, May 2nd is the LASD Lost Hills open house; we will have a tent and a Type 6 engine, giveaways, signups for HIZ evaluations and Community Brigade membership applications.

The open house is from 9am to 1pm at 27050 Agoura Road in Calabasas.

Please stop by the tent, and if you want to help out for any portion of the day, wear your Brigade logo gear!

04/22/2026

Community Brigade attending Mandeville Canyon HOA meeting at Rivera Country Club with Chief Dave Updike of the US Forestry Service. This is a virtual fire propane portable water pump for a pool. It can make a huge impact in a community when installed.

04/16/2026

Grateful to the City of Malibu for recognizing the work of LAEPF's Community Brigade and all the volunteers who responded so selflessly during the fires.

03/23/2026

Listening and learning from LACoFD Chief Drew Smith talk about the community wildfire protection plan with the City of Agoura.

Learn more about their risk assessment process and how the community can have input by clicking the link in the comments below.

03/22/2026

A beautiful day in Topanga for a Community Brigade meeting with Chief Michael Velasquez from LACoFD Battalion 5. He spoke with Brigade members about brush clearance challenges & benefits. Thank you Chief Velasquez for spending part of your weekend with these dedicated members of our Community Brigade.