Corral Canyon
Nearly five hundred residents call Corral Canyon home -- a community which has been tested and united by the devastating wildfires of 2007 and 2018, in which so many of our neighbors lost their homes.
Corral Canyon is home base for our own Call Firefighter program, Engine 271 of LA County Fire Dept. Engine 271 is staffed by Corral residents who stepped forward to commit time and energy to complete the LACoFD training and put their lives on the line to protect their neighbors' lives and property. Our trained Call Firefighters are supported by zone leaders in each neighborhood of Corral Canyon who ensure that neighbors have the equipment and information necessary to harden their homes to fire.
Additionally, under the direction and supervision of the LA County Sheriff's Dept., Corral Canyon residents join nearly a hundred Arson watch volunteers from Malibu, Topanga, Agoura Hills and Calabasas and patrol over 185 square miles of the Santa Monica Mountains during periods of extreme fire weather conditions.
The Corral Canyon Fire Safety Alliance
The Corral Canyon Fire Safety Alliance (CCFSA) is a recognized 501(c)(3) corporation that was established in May 2009 as a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation to effectively serve Corral Canyon and its neighboring communities. The CCFSA is a voice for community matters and is dedicated to bringing residents and government agencies together when it comes to public safety concerns in Corral Canyon and the Santa Monica Mountains.
CCFSA Board of Directors
Steve Breese
President
Bambi Young
Melinda Mendel
Secretary
Kelly Kincaid
Treasurer
John Shafai
Dana Clark
Deborah Rubenacker
Kevin Rosenbloom
Mission
CCFSA is dedicated to protecting Corral Canyon residents and properties from fire. This includes providing support and resources to maintain the Corral Canyon Call Firefighter program and Engine 271. The Call Firefighters serve as first responders to fire and other emergency incidents in partnership with LACoFD. CCFSA continues to respond to the needs of the community, adding resources and delivering information needed to improve fire safety and protection in each neighborhood. CCFSA represents the Corral Canyon community with government leaders and agencies.
Image gallery
History
The Corral Canyon Working Group Committee was formed as a direct result of the major fire that occurred in November, 2007, in which more than 50 structures were lost. Under the guidance and leadership of LA County Fire Chief, P. Michael Freeman and in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Third District Office, the City of Malibu and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, nine Corral Canyon residents were selected to serve on a committee with the goal of improving public safety and first response efforts. The CCFSA was established in May 2009 as a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation to continue this mission, and the LACoFD Call Firefighter program for Corral Canyon was established in 2010. As part of the agreement between the LACoFD and the CCFSA, the Corral Canyon community provides their own community-funded Fire Apparatus and Fire Station facility. LACoFD maintains the equipment and provides ongoing training for the Call Firefighters in the program. After an extensive application and training process, ten Corral Canyon residents successfully completed the initial Call Firefighter Recruit Academy. These dedicated community leaders have successfully influenced policy changes within the County and City that improved fire safety. They were instrumental in improving road conditions, increasing law enforcement patrols, and persuading the County to adopt and enforce new parking and access restrictions to the top of Corral Canyon during red flag conditions.
Engine 271
The Corral Canyon Call Firefighters continue to train under the direction of LACoFD Station 71 every other weekend. Call Firefighters are ready to respond on a 24/7 basis to emergencies in Corral Canyon. Engine 271 is stationed in the canyon in a temporary facility. Property and funding for construction of permanent station have been secured thanks to generous donations from residents and a public grant through the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. Progress is being made with permitting and construction.
News
June 2021
From 2010 until the present, Call Fire Engine 271 has been “housed” in a temporary facility on private property in Corral Canyon. Knowing this is a temporary situation, the CCFSA has been working towards designing and building a permanent Fire Station 271. With community donations, the design and engineering work has been completed.
Fire Station 271 will be located in the upper bowl. It is designed to “house” Fire Engine 271 and (future) Patrol 271. It will also include a small office and areas for firefighter equipment storage. This is a stand-alone Call Firefighter Station supported by the CCFSA and the Corral Canyon Community.
On June 2021, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy awarded the Corral Canyon Fire Safety alliance a $230.000.00 grant to help build the permanent fire station for Engine 271 and Patrol 271. This money is coming from the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan which was recently provided by the State of California.
April 2023
The Corral Canyon Fire Safety Alliance has acquired a new Type 3 fire engine donated by the National Park Service that oversees Solstice Canyon.
The 2005 refurbished fire engine will be outfitted in the Los Angeles County Fire Department shop in East LA to with all the necessary equipment, radios, computer data transmitters and other necessities and will be housed in the soon to be built Station 271 in the upper Corral Canyon currently in the permitting process.
The CCFSA wishes to thank the National Park Service and our call firefighter and neighbor Matt Haines for diligently dealing with all the paperwork that all Federal, State and local agencies required for the past 18 months to make this donation possible for the benefit of our community.
The CCFSA continues the quest of raising funds to build Station 271 to house the new fire engine and eventually a smaller brush.
​
Please donate at www.corralcanyon.org
​
Happy holidays!
June 2026
Dear Corral Canyon Neighbors,
We are excited to share some very positive updates regarding the development of Call Firefighter Station 271, additions to our Call Firefighter team, and our application to certify Corral Canyon as a Firewise community!
​
Station 271 Progress
We are making steady progress through the necessary regulatory stages and are moving closer to breaking ground. Here is where things stand:
-
Coastal Permit Approved! We cleared a major regulatory hurdle in August 2025 when our Coastal Permit was officially approved.
-
Grading & Plan Check – Round 1: We submitted our grading and plan check permit applications and paid the associated fees in September 2025. In response, we received our first round of remarks and revision requests in December 2025.
-
Grading & Plan Check – Round 2: Our engineering and design team worked diligently to address revisions from Round 1 and promptly submitted our updated package for Round 2 review in March 2026. We are currently anticipating the County’s feedback on this second round. Once we receive it, we will complete the remaining requirements to officially secure our Grading Permit.
-
Concurrent Structural Work: While we wait on the County, work isn't stopping. We paid a down payment to General Steel for the structure design and materials. Matt Haines is collaborating with General Steel to acquire the necessary structural plans so we can hit the ground running with the building permit process.
​
New Call Firefighters Join Engine 271 Team
Please welcome Kate Buckwald, Kassidy Jones, and Jon Peterson to the Engine 271 team. These dedicated individuals donated their time and energy to complete the arduous application, screening and training process to become active Call Firefighters in the LA County Fire Department. The impressive achievement of these great neighbors was supported by the Engine 271 veterans who helped them complete the required training. The Engine 271 team participated in the Call Firefighter Academy in Lancaster over four weekends in September and October 2025. Kate, Kassidy and Jon then went on to complete all probationary tasks with Station 71 in May 2026.
​
Plans to Gain Firewise Status for Corral Canyon
Thanks to initiative taken by CCFSA board member Bambi Young, Corral Canyon is on track to become an official Firewise community. A Firewise community qualifies for an insurance premium discount under California's “Safer from Wildfires” program, which mandates that insurers offer discounts for mitigation efforts done on an individual property and at the community level. Bambi organized a meeting in March 2026 with representatives of the Santa Monica Mountains Fire Safe Council (SMMFSC) and surveyed Corral Canyon neighborhoods with a group of residents. Based on the results of that survey and discussion, SMMFSC has been helping CCFSA complete an application for Firewise certification that includes a three year action plan to further improve our fire resilience. Stand by for more news on the status of our application and recommendations for how Corral Canyon residents can ensure our goals are met.
​
Community Investment & Funding
Our progress is a direct result of this community's incredible generosity. Since the fundraising drive in 2021 that set a target of $200,000 for initiating Station 271 and other CCFSA activities, our community has so far successfully raised $118,353! This funding has been essential to get the Station 271 project to this point. We have invested most of those funds into essential foundational work, including the plans of our engineering team, two required biologist reports, architectural design, and fees for our permits and our permit expeditor. Recall that CCFSA previously secured a $230,000 construction grant from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC). However, we cannot use those funds until all LA County permits are cleared. In order to bridge the gap and unlock the SMMC grant funding, CCFSA is pursuing additional funding from the government agencies that will benefit from Fire Station 271. Thus, we have applied for a grant from the City of Malibu to complete the final permitting stage. The City will be hearing our presentation on 2 June. Getting that funding plus securing the final building permit is the magic key: it will trigger the start of construction and flow of our $230,000 construction grant funding.
Thank you all for your continued patience, incredible financial support and dedication to keeping Corral Canyon safe. We will keep you updated on all of these developments.
​
Warmly,
The Corral Canyon Fire Safety Alliance
​
Your Own Private Fire Hydrant. Ready to Protect Your Home in Seconds.
​
Choose your Hainy Hydrant Package or visit:
www.hainyhydrant.com
As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the CCFSA relies on the generosity of our supporters to continue offering fire safety and prevention resources to our community.
With each tax deductible gift received, we will continue to near our goals of eliminating destructive fires and the completion of a permanent building structure for our Fire Station 271.
To make a donation please make your check paid to:
Corral Canyon Fire Safety Alliance
​
And mail to:
P.O. Box 252, Malibu, CA 90265