The Palisades Fire The untold story of civilians rewriting how we live with wildfire.
Show Description
The Palisades Fire swallowed homes and lives, reducing whole communities to smoke and rubble in the wake of this massive wildfire. But behind these horrific headlines, a different sort of history was being written—one most people never heard.
Ride alongside a brave group of everyday people sick of watching their city burn. They stayed behind firelines to save the place they call home. The Community Brigade is a first-of-its-kind experimental program training civilians to work alongside professional firefighters. During one of Los Angeles’ darkest hours, they came to their city’s aid. We dive into what that could mean for millions of people across the world who live in high-risk fire zones. As wildfires continue to break records and push past what we imagined possible, this podcast tackles one of today’s most pressing questions: is mass destruction inevitable or can there be a different ending to this story?
Credits
Host, Writer, Producer, Reporter, and Music Supervisor: Adriana Cargill. Editor: Sasa Woodruff. Story Editor: Adam Whitney Nichols. Fact-Checker: Audrey Regan. Music Composer: Marcelo de Oliveria. Music Arranger: Emma Munger. Theme Song: Medium Zach. Audio Engineer: Kathleen Yore. Graphic Design and Website Design: Talia Rochmann
Press
Science Friday: The Community Group Rethinking LA’s Approach To Wildfires
NPR’s WAMU: The Palisades and Eaton fires, one year later
KQED, The California Report Magazine: How Palisades Fire Put New Volunteer Firefighting Force to the Test
Boise State Public Radio: Running towards the flames: Inside the Community Brigade of the Palisades Fire
Columbia Journalism Review: Laurels and Darts
broadcast
LAist Los Angeles, California
KPBS San Diego, California
KUCR California
RadioStPete, Florida
Northwest Public Broadcasting- Washington State University serving Oregon, Idaho, Washington, British Columbia, Canada
KICI Iowa City- Iowa
KUSU- Utah
WNYC, New York City, New jersey
WXXI Rochester, New York
Boise State Public Radio, Idaho
KRVS Public Media, Louisiana
WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass.- Cape Cod, Nantucket, Woods hole- Massachuets
WILL- Illinois
WVTF- Virginia
Episode 1: Get The Boys Ready
As the nation watched in shock and horror as the Palisades Fire brought Los Angeles to its knees, a group of civilians stepped up to defend their home turf. The Community Brigade Program is a first-in-the nation experiment that trains everyday people to work alongside first responders during disasters. Host Adriana Cargill takes us into the heart of Palisades Fire to ride alongside with two childhood friends who risk everything to save the place they call home.
Episode 2: Don’t Call Us Heroes
Wildfires are a natural reality in Southern California, but is mass destruction an inevitability? Could the Community Brigade Program be a step to unlocking a different kind of future for people living in high-risk fire zones? We look at if the program worked and how it could reshape life with wildfire in Los Angeles and beyond.