SURFING SOAPBOX: Still fighting fires for emergency services

If I were a Laguna historian and asked the question if you had to pick one day that forever changed Laguna, what day would it be?

The answer is the day of the fire.

It’s an obvious choice.

Oct. 7, 1993, forever changed the landscape of Laguna Beach (pun not intended) and to this day, some 15 years later, when the Santa Ana winds blow, an eerie silence screams through our town.

A sad reminder of the day we lost 333 homes, if my memory serves me right, and I remember that day like it was yesterday.

I remember the moment I first laid eyes on that huge plume of black smoke rising above the canyon, like a massive bomb had been dropped.

I remember the neighborhood, the cul-de-sac and the people running frantically away from their homes. The smell of smoke not only of that day, but the smell of smoke that was left for days on end, as if our town had been transformed into nothing more than an ashtray.

The echo of sirens and sirens and sirens that shattered the peaceful town of Laguna Beach, like an alarm clock had gone off and there was no turning it off.

Yes, that day an alarm clock had gone off, and I wonder how better prepared we are for such a day?

During our last City Council election, our Laguna Beach firefighters were letting their voices be heard about the additional resources and man and woman power they needed.

Today, our lifeguards are still fighting for a new headquarters, not to mention new lifeguard stands that offer them some shade.

What I don’t understand is why our emergency services have to fight for what they need.

We need a city council that fights for them — our emergency services.

We need a city council that fights for the betterment of Laguna.

We need a city council that doesn’t live in Laguna — but lives Laguna.

The rest is up to you.

Peace.

JAMES PRIBRAM is a Laguna Beach native, professional surfer and John Kelly Environmental Award winner. His websites include AlohaSchoolofSurfing and ECOWarrior Surf.com. He can be reached at Jamo@Aloha SchoolofSurfing.com