LOS ANGELES - Marylandian -- The 2025 ReadyCommunities Partnership (RCP) National Service Award was presented to Pepperdine University Malibu and Community Partners for Leadership and Collaboration through a Mutual Mission to Augment the Palisades Fires Response.

During the initial response to the catastrophic fire, Pepperdine executives swiftly leveraged their expertise, institutional knowledge and Malibu campus resources with common sense approaches to save lives and property while sustaining critical community partners such as SOCAL FIRE and the City of Malibu Emergency Operations Center.  Executive Vice President Phil Phillips, Esq. led the overall emergency response and shared his findings:

Partnerships with community leaders are a vital component of Pepperdine's emergency response planning. Establishing strong relationships in advance with first responders and local agencies, including Los Angeles County Fire, CAL FIRE, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol, the City of Malibu, the County Board of Supervisors, and utility providers, ensures coordinated action when critical situations arise. This collaboration was demonstrated during both the Franklin and Palisades fires, when mutual reliance and support were essential. During the Franklin Fire, firefighters drew water from the ponds in Alumni Park to supply their helicopters.   When the Palisades Fire caused the natural gas supply to be shut off to Malibu, SoCalGas established its command post on Pepperdine's campus to support their operations and systematically restore service to the community.

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Due to threat of rain and mud flows on October 14, 2025, the scheduled formal award event with Sean Regan, district designee for Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32) was canceled; Sean was to have presented the award to Pepperdine Malibu's Executive Vice President Phil Phillips; Instead a brief informal presentation was made by RCP's Dr. Rosalie J. Wyatt to Phil Phillips' Executive Assistant, Kaitlynn Lee, at Pepperdine's Thornton Administrative Center in Malibu.

Those scheduled to attend the award ceremony with remarks included Malibu Mayor Marianne Riggins, Malibu City Councilmember Haylynn Conrad, former Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich (2004-2012), CAL FIRE Division Chief Todd Hopkins; Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Sergeant Wax; Malibu Lost Hills Sheriff's Station Capt. Dustin Carr; Pepperdine Caruso School of Law Adjunct Professor and M&R Counselor David DeJute; Pepperdine's Associate Vice President Ricky Eldridge; Pepperdine Graziadio Business School Dean Deborah Crown; Graziadio doctoral student Karen Jackson; Graziadio staff Lee Hughes, Wan Song, and Michael Weaver; Pepperdine staff Heidi Bernard, Kitty Campbell, and Jacqueline Cleaveland; Santa Monica College Malibu's Alice Meyering and Dr. Scott Silverstein; and Emily Shane Foundation's Ellen and Michel Shane.

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Since 2007, the RCP/CCROA National Service and Sacrifice Awards have acknowledged responders, organizations, and volunteers for their extraordinary service and contributions to the resiliency of America's strategic communities in the first 72 hours of a large-scale or national crisis.  Overall, the National Service and Sacrifice Awards help support community development through collaboration and foster a culture of resiliency for economic and national security.

ReadyCommunities Partnership is a non-partisan initiative and project of the Corporate Crisis Response Officers Association and the Community Institute for Preparedness, Response and Recovery.  For additional information, please visit http://www.ccroa.org where the awards history is listed or email drrjwyatt@ccroa.org/.

Contact
ReadyCommunities Partnership/CCROA
Rosalie J. Wyatt, PhD, MBA
www.readycommunities.org
***@ccroa.org