Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Rebuild:LA
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 051: 70% Of Survivors Can’t Return Home with Department of Angels’ Andrew King and Angela Giacchetti | 18 Nov 2025 | 00:39:49 | |
In the second of our two-part episode with Eaton Fire survivors Andrew King and Angela Giacchetti, host Cameron Barrett asks the two about their work on the Department of Angels' quarterly survey of fire survivors, Community Voices: LA Fire Recovery Report. The research is uncovering some difficult truths about the recovery and rebuilding efforts in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. 70% of those surveyed say they can’t return home. Nearly that many report struggling with their mental health, and the majority of survivors say they have run out of savings and are taking on debt. King and Giacchetti are not only administering the report, but have been instrumental in the development of questions, knowing that their first-hand knowledge as fire survivors makes them uniquely qualified to ask the questions that matter. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 050: No Warning - Surviving the Eaton Fire with Department of Angels’ Andrew King and Angela Giacchetti | 11 Nov 2025 | 00:45:07 | |
Andrew King and Angela Giacchetti didn’t know each other on January 7, 2025. They lived only a few blocks apart - in Altadena. When the Santa Ana winds got so strong that power started failing, King loaded his two kids and his wife into their minivan and took off to a nearby hotel in Pasadena. Better safe than sorry, he figured. Giacchetti and her husband were new parents. Their son was only nine months old, and their main concern was him. But they figured they could wait until the evacuation order came. Even if authorities told them to “get ready,” they still planned to go, because of the baby. Better safe than sorry, they figured. Yet the order never came. When they lost power, they packed the car and headed to a friend’s house in Silver Lake. Neither family ever thought that one of the deadliest wildfires in Southern California was just getting started. It would be several months later when King and Giacchetti would meet, as they started their work with the newly formed non-profit, born of the fires, the Department of Angels. This week, King and Giacchetti sit down with host Cameron Barrett for the first of a two-part episode to tell their harrowing stories of evacuation and their long roads to recovery. | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 041 - Forgotten Altadena with the Future Organization’s Aimery Thomas | 09 Sep 2025 | 00:43:25 | |
This week social scientist Aimery Thomas of the Future Organization joins Cameron Barrett to talk about ARISE - Altadena Resident Impact Survey and Evaluation. It’s a report he and his partner compiled after they surveyed 1,200+ Altadena residents in the wake of the Eaton Fire. The results are as fascination as they are disturbing, uncovering a web of neglect in fire prevention, emergency response, and resource allocation before, during, and after the disaster. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 040 - It’s Been 8 Months. Now What? With Palisades Fire Survivor Kari Weaver | 03 Sep 2025 | 00:43:49 | |
Our conversation this week is with Palisades Fire survivor Kari Weaver, who lost her home in the alphabet streets. It’s been 8 months since that windy, dry Tuesday morning, January 7, when the Palisades Fire started in the highlands. And it was only a few hours later that the Eaton Fire came roaring out of Eaton Canyon and wiped out much of Altadena. A lot has happened in those eight months. And many of us who aren’t in the middle of insurance claims, construction bids, and temporary housing issues have moved on. But there are still tens of thousands of Los Angeles residents who can’t - because they’re facing the fallout of those fires every day. But Kari Weaver, an interior designer and mother of three, is just surviving; she’s planning. She has a vision about how to make the Pacific Palisades, post-fire, a better place to live. Learn about her harrowing evacuation and her vision of what the future could be. Resources:
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 039 - How New Legislation Will Help Victims of the LA Firestorms with CA Senator Ben Allen | 26 Aug 2025 | 00:44:54 | |
California Senator Ben Allen is our guest this week, squeezing our interview into his jammed legislative schedule. Allen grew up in Santa Monica and represents California Senate District #24, which includes his hometown, as well as Malibu and the Pacific Palisades, two communities devastated by January’s Palisades Fire. This week he’s in Sacramento presenting legislation to help rebuilding efforts move forward. The bills have names like Winter Fires of 2025: real property tax: exemptions and reassessment. Allen was not only professionally impacted by the firestorms, but personally as well. And he’s working to make sure that impact remains fresh in the minds of his colleagues in Sacramento. Find out all about his efforts and his thoughts on rebuilding Los Angeles. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 038 What Can We Do To Make Evacuations Work in the Next Wildfire with MySafe:LA’s David Barrett - Part II | 19 Aug 2025 | 00:38:14 | |
The death toll from the January Firestorms has climbed to 31 with the discovery in late June of the remains of Juan Francisco Espinoza, a 74-year-old man who didn’t escape the Eaton Fire when it raged through Altadena. The discovery of yet another victim six months after the fires makes it clear that we need to start working together to get wildfire evacuations right. Last week, in the first half of our conversation about evacuations with MySafe:LA's David Barrett, we discussed notification systems and the technology being fine-tuned in LA County to make evacuation notifications more effective. This week, we’re talking about what people can do to guarantee their survival when the next disaster strikes. David Barrett will give us step-by-step guidelines on evacuation best practices and talk about the elephant in the room when it comes to evacuation problems - infrastructure. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 037 Why Didn’t Evacuation Plans Work in the Palisades and Eaton Fires with MySafe:LA’s David Barrett - Part I | 12 Aug 2025 | 00:25:24 | |
This week is the first half of another conversation we’re stretching over two episodes, and that’s because of the complexity of what we’re discussing - evacuation. Why didn’t it work in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena when wildfires raged through both communities this January? Why does the death toll for the fires keep rising? Los Angeles County Sheriff’s just recently identified yet another victim of the Eaton Fire, a 74-year-old man who didn’t get out in time. Why can’t we get this right? What can we do to increase survivability when the next fire strikes? We ask all those questions and more of David Barrett, the Chief Officer of our non-profit, MySafe:LA, this week, and find out about new software that could make notifications and evacuations easier for both municipalities AND residents. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 036 - How Difficult Is It to Harden Your Home? We Asked Two Fire Chiefs How They Hardened Their Own | 05 Aug 2025 | 00:41:59 | |
This week Cameron Barrett sits down with two Fire Chiefs who have just completed projects in their respective homes to give them the best chance of making it through a wildfire. Chief Frank Bigelow is CAL FIRE’s Deputy Director of Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation. Chief Jose de Jesus Lopez is a retired Assistant Chief for Los Angeles County Fire Department, and currently serves on the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Bigelow and his family have just moved in to a newly built home outside of Fresno, where he and his wife have made exacting decisions to build a home that is both state of the art and fire resistant. Lopez has come at it from an entirely different angle, taking a house built in 1960, and retrofitting it to be fire resistant. We recorded this week’s episode right in Lopez’s backyard, which overlooks El Prieto Canyon and the Angeles National Forest. Lopez is one of the lucky ones. His neighborhood is in Altadena, but is a California Fire Safe Council, and survived both the Station Fire in 2009 and the Eaton Fire in January. Find out what decisions they made to protect their homes. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 035 CAL FIRE’s Uphill Battle with Zone Zero with State Fire Marshal Chief Daniel Berlant - Part II | 25 Jul 2025 | 00:33:10 | |
Part II of our conversation with State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant finds us tackling one of the most contentious topics in wildfire prevention - Zone Zero. The state is still trying to define exactly what Zone Zero will entail, but homeowners are already filling social media and text strings with nightmares of having to create moonscapes of bare dirt around their homes to qualify for fire insurance. So, what exactly is ZoneZero, and what does CAL FIRE want you to do to be in compliance? That's what we cover in the second half of our conversation with Chief Daniel Berlant. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 034 How Is CAL FIRE “Treating” Our Wildland with State Fire Marshal Chief Daniel Berlant - Part I | 18 Jul 2025 | 00:26:32 | |
This week is the first of a two-part conversation with State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant. He leads the wildfire prevention and preparedness efforts for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). California is home to nearly 40 million people, who live all over the 164-thousand square acres of land that make up the state. The third-largest state in the country by area, and the most populous state in the country by far. It’s safe to say that when it comes to wildfire, Berlant has his work cut out for him. In our first episode, Berlant discusses his department’s response to the Eaton Fire and how CAL FIRE is trying to “treat” hundreds of thousands of acres of wildland to restore natural habitat while protecting the increasing number of people moving into the WUI. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 033 - What Would You Pack If A Wildfire Was On Your Doorstep with MySafe:LA’s Chris Nevil | 11 Jul 2025 | 00:34:37 | |
It’s been six months since the firestorms of January tore through the communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The worst wildfire disaster in Los Angeles history, the Palisades Fire killed 12 people, destroyed 6,837 structures and burned 23,448 acres. The Eaton Fire was even more destructive, killing 18 people, destroying 9,000 structures and burning 14,021 acres. Six months isn’t a long time, but if you weren’t directly effected by the fires, chances are they faded from memory. They are no longer headline news, despite the fact that clean up is still underway and rebuilding is still in the early stages. So at this six month milestone, we wanted to return to a central theme in our podcast, and in all of our work, and that’s preparation. We know that it saves lives, and just because the fires are out, doesn't mean there isn’t another one of the horizon. The time to begin preparing for a wildfire disaster is now. What would you pack, if a wildfire was nearing your home? What would you grab, if you only had a few minutes to save the lives of you, your loved ones, your pets, and your neighbors? That’s what this episode is all about, with our guest, MySafe:LA’s Chris Nevil. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 032 - California’s Chaparral Could Be Our Best Fire Protection Plan with Richard Halsey of the California Chaparral Institute | 04 Jul 2025 | 00:38:31 | |
What if saving California’s chaparral ecosystem means we’d be protecting California communities from wildfires? Richard Halsey, the founder of the California Chaparral Institute, says our state’s most abundant biome, chaparral, actually protects our communities from widespread wildfire disasters. And he says the more the state mandates the clearance of native habitats like the chaparral, the more it guarantees that wildfires will destroy communities. Halsey’s decades of fighting for the preservation of natural habitats has found him in court - twice - once in 2004 against the state’s plan to clear hundreds of acres in San Diego County after the Cedar fire, and just recently against CalFire and their plan to clear thousands of acres of wildland throughout the state. He won both lawsuits, but his battle continues. Find out about his fight to save homes from wildfire by saving California’s chaparral. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 049 - Rebuilding Is Reimagining with Malibu Mayor Marianne Riggins | 04 Nov 2025 | 00:37:12 | |
Malibu is no stranger to wildfires. The city had just recovered from the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which destroyed hundreds of homes on both sides of Pacific Coast Highway, when the firestorms of January 2025 struck. The Palisades Fire destroyed 700 homes in Malibu and drove clouds of soot and ash from the smoldering Pacific Palisades over the city and onto its world-renowned beaches. 700 homes were lost, and the city’s main artery, Pacific Coast Highway, was blocked by fleeing residents, emergency vehicles, and walls of flame. But ten months after the Palisades Fire, more than 200 building permits are pending approval in Malibu, and the first home is being rebuilt along PCH. Malibu Mayor Marianne Riggins sees the fire’s destruction every day, but she also sees opportunity. Host Cameron Barrett sits down with Mayor Riggins this week to dive into Malibu’s rise from the ashes.
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 031 - Scenes from MySafe:LA’s Wildfire Fair | 27 Jun 2025 | 00:18:01 | |
MySafe:LA's Wildfire Fair took place this past Sunday at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles. Our non-profit organized the event to help residents have a one-stop solution to finding wildfire information and products. The fair featured 25 booths where attendees could learn about a wide array of products from spray-on fire retardants, to emergency vests pre-loaded with essentials you’ll need if you have to evacuate. Government agencies were also on hand including Los Angeles’ Emergency Management Department and the State’s Department of Insurance. Workshops were held throughout the day. Experts presented on landscape planning, wildfire safety for older adults, home fire retardants, how to become a Firewise site, and updates on California’s current insurance challenges. There was even a Kids' Zone where children learned hands-only CPR and home fire safety, assembled their own emergency Go Bags, and practiced how to Get Low and GO. The fair welcomed at least 300 attendees. It was so successful that we plan to hold three more this year, in LA Council Districts 1, 11, and 12. Our Executive Officer, David Barrett, carried a microphone into the booths of some of the exhibitors to find out what they have to offer in helping keep Los Angelenos safe in the event of ll. wildfire. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 030 - A Fire Retardant You Could Drink with M-Fire’s Silvio Lanzas | 21 Jun 2025 | 00:39:35 | |
Our guest this week is Silvio Lanzas, the former Fire Chief for the City of Glendale, and the current Chief Operating Officer for the fire retardant manufacturer M-Fire. The company produces and applies a product called AF31 that is water-based and food-grade, and can be sprayed on houses, car batteries, and whole forests. It was invented more than 30 years ago in the UK, it’s made in Torrance, California, and it’s widely used throughout Asia. So why does no one know about it here in wildfire-ravaged California? It might have to do with the dominance in the marketplace of Phos-Check, the red stuff we’ve all seen flowing out of aircraft over wildfires. But Lanzas is trying to change that…one construction site, one EV battery and one house at a time. Resources:
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| Episode 029: UPDATED! Rebuild:LA - Delay, Deny, Discourage, and Underpay with Joy Chen of the Eaton Fire Survivors' Network | 13 Jun 2025 | 00:42:54 | |
Five months after the Eaton Fire came charging out of the wildland and destroyed much of the historic city of Altadena, there are still hundreds of families who haven’t been able to return home or start the long process of recovering. This week’s guest says there is a correlation between a family’s insurance carrier, and their ability to recover their lives and rebuild their futures. Joy Chen is a former Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles, and the current CEO of the Multicultural Leadership Institute. But these days, she dedicates much of her time to the organization she co-founded, the Eaton Fire Survivors’ Network, and trying to get the insurance industry to pay out on the hundreds of claims coming from survivors. She believes there is a systematic approach of “delay, deny, discourage and underpay.” She and others in the Eaton Fire Survivors’ Network are pressuring California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to investigate the claims process and freeze any proposed rate hikes. The details of her group’s mission are detailed in this week’s episode. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 028 - Saving Whole Neighborhoods from Wildfire with Fire Aside's Jason Brooks | 06 Jun 2025 | 00:39:22 | |
In this week’s Episode host Cameron Barrett interviews software developer Jason Brooks who took his experience surviving the Tubbs Fire that destroyed Santa Rose in 2017, as inspiration to design an app that has helped more than a million people make their homes safer from wildfire. Brooks’ app, Fire Aside, is now being used by dozens of municipalities in more than half a dozen states to streamline brush inspections, home hardening and defensible space education and fire prevention efforts. Hear how the app works, and how even Fire Safe Councils and Homeowners’ Associations are leveraging Fire Aside in the fight against wildfires. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 027 - The Hard Truth About Zone Zero with Dr. Travis Longcore | 30 May 2025 | 00:49:41 | |
In 2020 California passed AB 3074, which established Zone Zero - an ember-resistant zone within five feet of homes in High and Very High Fire Severity Zones (HFHSZ and VHFHSZ). The law was never implemented because the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection needed to identify exactly what would be allowed and not allowed in Zone Zero. Two things have happened recently. 1. The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection released new maps that have expanded the HFHSZ and VHFHSZ. 2. In the wake of the January Firestorms, Governor Newsom issued an executive order requiring the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to finalize rule-making and implement Zone Zero. What does this mean for homeowners in Los Angeles? We have the answers, and they might not be what you want to hear. Our expert guest this week is Travis Longcore, a UCLA Adjunct Professor and Co-Chair of the Environmental Science and Engineering Program at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, as well as a 28-year member of the Los Angeles County Environmental Review Board. And what he tells host Cameron Barrett about the proposed rules around Zone Zero are surprising...to say the least! Resources: | |||
| Episode 026: Rebuild:LA - Rebuilding Our City in a Changing Climate with Probable Futures Founder Spencer Glendon, Part II | 23 May 2025 | 00:29:47 | |
This week’s guest is a thought leader and non-profit founder Spencer Glendon, who we met last week in part one of our discussion on how climate change is making our lives riskier, and forcing us to rethink where and how we live. The Palisades and Eaton Fires are just two examples of that increased risk. Glendon brings his expertise in Engineering, and Economics, as well as his experience as an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and a Senior Fellow at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, to the conversation. He and host Cameron Barrett began their discussion last week with the history of our climate. This week they drill down to what climate change means for Southern California and how rebuilding LA requires some forethought, some big conversations, and some community building. Resources: | |||
| Episode 025: Rebuild:LA - Rebuilding Our City in a Changing Climate with Probable Futures Founder Spencer Glendon, Part I | 16 May 2025 | 00:32:59 | |
This week’s guest is a thought leader taking on the daunting task of teaching people about climate change and how best to adapt to it. Spencer Glendon is the founder of Probable Futures, a non-profit that is helping businesses and communities understand that our weather is no longer something we can rely on, but instead is causing increased risk to our safety. The Palisades and Eaton Fires are just two examples of that increased risk. Glendon brings his expertise in Engineering, and Economics, as well as his experience as an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and a Senior Fellow at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, to the conversation. He and host Cameron Barrett start this two part discussion with the last 100,000 years of weather and human development, and end in next week’s part two of the conversation, discussing = what we need to do today in the wake of our twin climate disasters - the Palisades and Eaton Fires - to rebuild LA. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 024 - Saving Homes from Wildfire One Assessment at a Time with MySafe:LA’s Dante Cornejo | 10 May 2025 | 00:43:40 | |
Dante Cornejo is MySafe:LA’s wildfire coordinator for Los Angeles County and is host Cameron Barrett’s guest this week. Dante has done assessments on hundreds of homes as part of his work, evaluating the wildfire risk of residences all over the County. In this episode, he talks about those assessments, and list things you can do today, even if you don’t have a lot of time or money, to make yourself, your family and your home, safer. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 023 - Rebuilding Community One Park at a Time with LA Rec and Parks' Brenda Aguirre | 02 May 2025 | 00:42:41 | |
When the Palisades Fire ripped through Los Angeles, the Department of Recreation and Parks got to work on myriad fronts. Park Rangers, who are actually trained in wildland firefighting, battled dozens of smaller spot fires in parks all over the city that day. Rec and Parks facilities re-invented themselves as evacuation sites and shelters for displaces residents. And two equestrian centers took in more than 550 horses (along with a few donkeys and some larger pigs). Rec and Parks might seem like the city department that fixes playgrounds and cleans pools, but they’re much more than that. They suffered losses during the Palisades Fire, they cared for hundreds of people and animals, and they’ve come out on the other end of the fire, helping rebuild not only park facilities, but whole communities. Cameron Barrett’s guest is Department of Recreation Assistant General Manager Brenda Aguirre. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 022 - Post-Traumatic Growth with Dr. Veronica Viesca | 29 Apr 2025 | 00:30:57 | |
Months after the Palisades and Eaton Fires swept through Los Angeles County, many people are still struggling emotionally. So much so, that California Assemblymember John Harabedian has introduced legislation that would require insurance companies, as part of disaster claims, to cover up to 12 sessions with a mental health professional. This week, we talk to Dr. Veronica Viesca about that struggle. She is a Marriage and Family Therapist, an Assistant Professor at Pepperine University, and the founder of the Center for Mental Health Excellence. She joins host Cameron Barrett to discuss how the mental health of individuals says a lot about the community as a whole, and how a phenomenon called post-traumatic growth, is building resilience across the community. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 048 - This Ain’t Your Dad’s Fire Service with Battalion Chief Andoni Kastros (ret) | 29 Oct 2025 | 00:42:40 | |
The American Fire Service is in the midst of a rapid transition period that many have described as a crisis. From a massive brain drain happening in departments that are losing many seasoned firefighters to retirement, as well as a fundamentally different generation of firefighters coming up through a traditional system not known for easily changing, the fire service is facing challenges it’s never had to navigate before. At the same time, wildfires are increasing in complexity and frequency. The Palisades and Eaton Fires made it clear that the age of mega fires is upon us. Is the Fire Service in 2025 capable of taking on these new, deadly challenges? We asked an expert in firefighting training, who has taught firefighters all over the world, this exact question. Cameron chats with her friend, and MySafe:LA collaborator, Battalion Chief Andoni Kastros, or Firefighters' Inspiration, Readiness and Education (FIRE), to learn about the state of the American Fire Service. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 021 - We Were At The Limit of Our Aircraft with Pascal Duclos | 14 Apr 2025 | 00:31:51 | |
For 30 years, the aerial firefighters of Quebec have had an agreement with California. When we call for help, they come. Pascal Duclos is the Chief Pilot of an elite firefighting force called the Quebec Scoopers. They fly a unique aircraft, the CL415, which was designed and built in Canada to do one thing - drop water on wildfires. And that's exactly what Duclos and his team did during the Palisades Fire. He says he learned one thing fighting that urban conflagration in 100 mph wind gusts - that nature is stronger than we are. He joins host Cameron Barrett to talk about the Palisades Fire, his highly-skilled brand of firefighting, climate change, and more. | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 020 - I Knew My Home and My Town Were in Danger with Survivor Jon Brown - Part II | 04 Apr 2025 | 00:36:44 | |
The second half of our conversation with Jon Brown brings him out of the ashes of the Palisades Fire, and right into a property fight with the owners of the mobile home park where he lived with his wife and two young kids. The Palisades Bowl was one of the last rent controlled neighborhoods in Los Angeles, and when the Palisades Fire swept through, nearly 400 people were left homeless. Those neighbors have come together to create the Palisades Bowl Community Partnership, to try and get recovery underway, with the final mission to rebuild the Park. Unfortunately, owners of the Park haven’t exactly been proactive, or even responsive. Jon discusses with host Cameron Barrett the road ahead, and how he and his neighbors might even try to buy the Bowl and rebuild their lives. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 019 - I Knew My Home and My Town Were in Danger with Survivor Jon Brown - Part I | 28 Mar 2025 | 00:33:38 | |
Jon Brown is one of the 400 residents of the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Park that no longer has a neighborhood to go home to. All 170+ homes are gone, flattened by the Palisades Fire. Jon joins host Cameron Barrett for a two-part conversation about how he and his young family escaped the fire. But Jon’s story is bigger than just running from the fire. In fact, the fire was just the beginning of his fight. Jon’s story is one of resilience, leadership, and a relentless commitment to his neighbors. Across two episodes, he shares the emotional and logistical challenges of rebuilding after disaster, the fight against negligent property owners, and the power of a united community working together to return home. Part I is Jon’s survival story. Part II (available April 4th) is about the power of a united community working together to return home. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 018 - The Recovery Bible with Author Sean Scott | 21 Mar 2025 | 00:39:59 | |
Cameron Barrett’s guest this episode of Sean Scott, a contractor by trade, and the author of a book you want to get on your shelf as soon as possible. The Red Guide to Recovery is a spiral bound Bible for homeowner who is navigating a disaster, whether that’s something as personal a a burst pipe, or as catastrophic as the Eaton or Palisades Fires. It’s even a terrific resource for those who want to prepare for a potential disaster. MySafe:LA, and fire departments all over North America, have been handing out the book to survivors for more than a decade. Here’s the guide you’ve been waiting for to navigate insurance, avoid scams, clean up safely and much more. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:AL Episode 017 - Like Driving Through a Volcano with Jessica Fernandez and Pastor Anthony McFarland | 18 Mar 2025 | 00:51:07 | |
So much has been written and said about the Palisades Fire, that it sometimes is confounding how the “other” fire that burned through a community in LA County in early January, goes unmentioned. The Eaton Fire started within hours of the Palisades Fire. It came roaring out of Eaton Canyon, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, just 20 miles northeast of downtown LA, and destroyed thousands of homes and killed 17 people. That’s more death and destruction than the Palisades Fire. It leveled much of Altadena, a storied city filled with a century of African American history. The area had been a welcome home for Black professionals and creatives. The McFarland Family was among them. They lost everything in the fire. Pastor Anthony McFarland and his daughter Jessica Fernandez talk to host Cameron Barrett about their harrowing evacuation and survival. They have a lot of questions now that the fire is out, and are looking for answers. Hear their remarkable story on Rebuild:LA. Resources: | |||
| RebuildLA Episode 016 - Can a Beacon Box Save Your Neighborhood From Wildfire with Jim Kniss | 15 Mar 2025 | 00:34:40 | |
Jim Kniss makes his living flying over wildfires, making GIS and infrared maps for firefighters. It's all pretty cutting edge technology. But what he's most passionate about is a little more old school. He's working to get Beacon Boxes into rural neighborhoods in fire-prone areas of California. He and the team at FireMapper, LLC have already installed dozens in Beverly Hills, Agoura Hills and Malibu, with more going in to Chatsworth, Bell Canyon and Malibu Lake. Beacon Boxes are like old-timey fireboxes from the last century, but with some very high tech tools inside. Kniss sits down with host Cameron Barrett to talk about what's in Beacon Boxes, why every rural community in California needs them, and who accessed them in Malibu during the Palisades Fire. Spoiler Alert - no one knows! But maybe you can help us find out. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 015 - Where the Next Destructive Wildfire Will Be with NASA’s Dr. Chris Potter | 11 Mar 2025 | 00:39:27 | |
Dr. Chris Potter calls it VERM, or vegetation ember index. He’s an earth scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, and he’s developed a new mapping product that shows VERM areas. And VERM areas are those places most vulnerable to fire. In other words, he and his research team are predicting the next place a destructive wildfire will strike. The product is free because it’s produced by NASA and paid for with federal tax dollars. But like so many scientific initiatives funded by the federal government, there’s a chance it will soon hit the chopping block. Dr. Potter sits down with host Cameron Barrett to talk about the VERM maps, what we can learn from them, and how we can use them to mitigate a wildfire before it even starts. Resources: | |||
| RebuildLA Episode 014 - Disasters Are Going to Keep Happening with Bright Harbor's Joel Wish | 07 Mar 2025 | 00:45:37 | |
Monday, March 31, 2025 (an extended date) is an important deadline if you’ve been effected by the Eaton or Palisades fires. That’s when you have to register for FEMA benefits if you’ve had losses. It’s also the deadline to register for SBA loans from the Federal Government. These are the kinds of details Joel Wish and his disaster recovery experts make sure their clients don’t miss. He’s the founder and CEO of Bright Harbor, a disaster recovery company based in Austin, Texas. He started the company two years ago, and it’s busier than ever. That’s because disasters are coming more frequently and more destructively than ever before. Host Cameron Barrett sat down with Wish to find out more about what survivors of the Eaton and Palisades Fires need to be managing right now as we enter the recovery phase of the most destructive fires in California history. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 013 - The City Failed Us with Survivor Sue Pascoe | 04 Mar 2025 | 00:47:07 | |
Sue Pascoe, her husband, and their two dogs evacuated the Palisades Fire on January 7, 2025 with a couple of overnight bags and the dogs' food bowls. They'd evacuated plenty of times before. This would be like the last few times. They'd be back home the next day. But by the next day, her home was gone. Like thousands of other families, the Pascoes lost everything. Sue is a journalist for the online newspaper Circling the News. Her press credentials got her inside the barricades before the public was given access. What she saw, and what she learned in her reporting has made her very angry. Her story is eye opening and wrenching. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 012 - Build Back Better with Alexis Rivas of Cover | 28 Feb 2025 | 00:48:45 | |
Nearly two months after wildfires swept through the communities of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, the dust and ash have settled. People are now taking stock of what they have and whether they’ll be able to rebuild. Can they afford what they once had? Should they build back bigger? Smaller? Should they build back at all? In this episode we talk to homebuilding innovator Alexis Rivas. He’s the CEO and co-founder of Cover, a company that has revolutionized pre-manufactured homes here in LA County. He talks with Cameron Barrett about everything from more fire resistant building materials to the latest attempt by the LA County Board of Supervisors to rethink state laws about ADUs. It’s a wide-ranging, fact-loaded discussion on how best to rebuild LA. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 047 - Is Orange County Prime for the Next Megafire with Irvine Ranch Conservancy's Oscar Hood | 21 Oct 2025 | 00:38:50 | |
Oscar Hood is trying to stop a Palisades Fire from happening in Orange County. As the County Coordinator for Wildfire Prevention and the Government and External Affairs Analyst for the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, he’s managing over 40,000 acres of open space in one of California’s smallest, yet most populous counties. How is he and his team working to keep wildfire at bay in the OC? He joins Cameron Barrett this week to talk about everything from roadside native plantings to prescribed burns in the Cleveland National Forest. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 011 - Can We Out-Think Wildfires with the NFPA's Michele Steinberg | 25 Feb 2025 | 00:46:41 | |
The National Fire Protection Association has been creating fire code in American since the late 1800's. We have the NFPA to thank for fire sprinklers in apartment buildings and fire doors in high rise buildings. In the 1980's, the NFPA realized that wildfires were igniting in unusual places in North America, and they decided to do something about it. They wanted to "out-think wildfires." Firewise USA was born. And it's why their Wildfire Division Director, Michele Steinberg, toured surviving homes in the Palisades and Eaton burn scars. Cameron Barrett had a wide-ranging discussion with Steinberg, and found out some reasons why there are still houses standing in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 010 - Are The Kids Alright with Chloe Canton | 21 Feb 2025 | 00:33:43 | |
5,000 Los Angeles school children were affected by the Palisades and Eaton Fires. That's a lot of kids who either lost their homes, or their schools, or both. Cameron Barrett asks licensed children and family therapist Chloe Canton to help explain the trauma kids are going through right now, how to spot the warning signs of children in crisis, and what we can do to help kids through this unprecedented time. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 009 - A Particularly Dangerous Situation with Rich Thompson from the NWS | 18 Feb 2025 | 00:34:17 | |
Rich Thompson is an incident meteorologist (IMET) with the National Weather Service, which means he predicts weather during disasters to help first responders during the active phase of an incident. He was on the ground during the Palisades Fire and describes the conditions in early January as a "once in a career" weather event. He chatted with Cameron Barrett about what his experience was like at the Command Post of the Palisades Fire and how his forecasts directed firefighters and air assets during the fire fight. Resources:
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 008 - Rebuilding LA for All of LA with Councilmember John Lee | 14 Feb 2025 | 00:26:15 | |
Councilmember John Lee of Los Angeles' CD #12 sits down with Cameron Barrett to talk about his district's recovery efforts in the wake of the January fires, how he plans on managing the independent investigation into the Palisades Fire as the head of the Public Safety Committee, and so much more in this episode of Rebuild:LA. Resources:
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 007 - The Ripple Effects of the Fires with Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez | 12 Feb 2025 | 00:25:36 | |
Eunisses Hernandez is the Councilmember representing District #1 in the City of Los Angeles. Her constituents live miles from both the Palisades and the Eaton Fires. No one in Council District #1 lost a home to fire. But many have lost jobs, employers, and even clean air to breathe. Host Cameron Barrett sits down with Hernandez to discuss the ripple effects of the fires that have reached all the way to Council District #1 and how Hernandez is responding. Resources:
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 006 - A Tornado of Fire with Justice Tricia Bigelow (ret) | 07 Feb 2025 | 00:30:00 | |
We mark the month anniversary of the January firestorms with our first survivor story. Cameron Barrett sat down with retired Superior Court Judge, Justice Tricia Bigelow. She barely had time to evacuate her Pacific Palisades home, but was chased from two more places she had gone to seeking shelter, as the Palisades Fire kept advancing. This is her incredible story. Resources:
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 005 - Stories from the Firestorms of January with Greg Doyle | 06 Feb 2025 | 00:37:19 | |
Greg Doyle has been shooting photographs of wildfires for the last 12 years. His works has been featured in fire magazines and websites, including www.wildfirela.org. It's safe to say that in those 12 years, Greg has never been as busy as he has been this past January. In fact, the last four months have seen him driving all over Southern California, documenting some of the most destructive wildfires this region has ever seen. Cameron Barrett talks with Greg about his days covering the fires, how he stays safe, when he puts the camera down to help people, and what he hopes the future holds for Los Angeles. Resources:
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 004 - Do You Have Enough Wildfire Insurance with Real Estate Broker Pat Hanley | 05 Feb 2025 | 00:31:00 | |
When homeowners who lost everything in the Eaton and Palisades Fires called their insurance companies, some of them had a rude awakening, adding more misery to families who had already lost nearly everything they owned. What happens when you lose your home to wildfire? Do you have enough insurance? Can you even get enough insurance in California in 2025? What about your mortgage? Do you still need to pay for a house that no longer exists? And if you still have a home, what can you do to lower your risks and your insurance payments. Cameron Barrett interviews Real Estate Broker and community resilience expert Pat Hanley in this episode of Rebuild:LA. Resources:
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 003 - Fighting the Palisades Fire From The Sky with CAL FIRE Aviation's Linnea Edmeier | 04 Feb 2025 | 00:45:30 | |
Linnea Edmeier sits down with host Cameron Barrett, to bring us her story from thousands of feet above the Palisades Fire. Edmeier is the Public Information Officer for CAL FIRE's Aviation Unit, and was deployed to the Palisades Fire. There she recorded the conflagration, keeping tabs on the dozens of flights in the air night and day as thousands of firefighters battled one of the most deadly and destructive wildfires in California history. Hear how she worked through fatigue, 100 mph wind gusts and illegal drone flights to support the firefight. Resources:
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 002 - Making Sure Your Pet Survives Wildfire with SPCA LA's Madeline Bernstein | 31 Jan 2025 | 00:38:20 | |
For the last 30 years, Madeline Bernstein has been fighting the good fight to help rescue, shelter, and find forever homes for the pets of Los Angeles. She is the president of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
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| Rebuild:LA Episode 046 - Using Robots to Fight Wildfire with BurnBot’s Ford Ainslie | 20 Oct 2025 | 00:39:49 | |
It’s like a Zamboni for firefighting. We’re talking about BurnBot’s RX2, and if you haven’t seen video of it in action, make sure to click on the resource link below. The company brought together two widely different California realities - Silicon Valley technological innovation, and the ever-increasing risk from wildfires. This week on Rebuild:LA, host Cameron Barrett talks to their Director of Partnerships and Growth, Ford Ainslie, about how BurnBot’s RX2 and other robotic technologies are working to help not only California, but also other states, find new ways to lower wildfire risks. | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 001 - How to Protect Your Home and Your Neighborhood from Wildfires with MySafe:LA's David Barrett | 28 Jan 2025 | 00:38:29 | |
In the first episode of the Safe Community Project's Rebuild:LA, we talk with MySafe:LA Executive Officer David Barrett about how his non-profit is helping HOAs, neighborhoods and individual homeowners find ways to make their houses safer from wildfires. As Los Angeles begins to rebuild in the wake of the Palisades and Eaton Fires, MySafe:LA is offering a path forward to make communities more resilient. Best of all, it's free! | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 045 - Finding Your Way Home with After the Fire’s Jennifer Gray Thompson | 07 Oct 2025 | 00:46:05 | |
In 2017 Jennifer Gray Thompson found herself living in her car with her dogs after evacuating from the Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County. The experience made her feel alone, lost, and unable to navigate back to the life she had enjoyed before she came face to face with a deadly mega fire. Her solution? The creation of After the Fire, a non-profit that has become a leading resource for communities all over the country who are facing the same trials she did back in 2017. After Fire was one of the resources that responded to both the Palisades and Eaton Fires, and is still helping survivors navigate bureaucracy, insurance nightmares, and bad information. When she’s not helping people in burn scars around the country, she's advocating for them on Capitol Hill, helping pass legislation that protects disaster survivors. This week, she sits down with host Cameron Barrett to talk about her work and what she sees ahead for Los Angeles. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 044: Saving History from Wildfire with Headwater Economics’ Ryan Handy | 30 Sep 2025 | 00:42:32 | |
The Palisades and Eaton Fires destroyed a lot of history. Will Rogers’s ranch home, Pasadena Waldorf School, Robert Bridges House, The Bunny Museum, Andrew McNally House, Theater Palisades, and The Zane Gray Estate are just a few of the thousands of structures lost in the fires. They all were touchstones in the communities where they were located. What does their loss mean to the Pacific Palisades and Altadena? What could we have done to protect them? And what do we need to do to protect other historic landmarks that might be in the way of the next megafire? We talk to researcher and urban planner, Ryan Handy, of Headwater Economics, about her new research on saving history from wildfire in this episode of Rebuild:LA. Resources: | |||
| Rebuild:LA Episode 043 - A 50-Year Perspective on the January Firestorms with Chief Kim Zagaris of the Western Fire Chiefs’ Association | 23 Sep 2025 | 00:40:07 | |
When you’ve been in the California fire service for 48 years, like Chief Kim Zagaris, you’re likely to take a long view of how we’re doing when it comes to wildfire response. Chief Z as many know him, was State Fire and Rescue Chief for the State of California, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) until just a few years ago,, when he retired and become the Wildfire Policy and Technology Advisor for the Western Fire Chiefs Association. Zagaris has fought hundreds of wildfires in his decades’ long career, yet he’s still out there, fighting to get more apparatus in the hands of fire departments, more technology in the hands off firefighters, and more trained boots on the ground at the next mega fire. Our conversation this week with Chief Z covers all that and more. Resources | |||