Our Story
Founded on the belief that communities are strongest when they look out for one another.
Arson Watch has been a quiet but vital presence in the Santa Monica Mountains for over 40 years.
How It Started
In 1982, a fire broke out in Dayton Canyon. When actor and longtime Liberty Canyon resident Buddy Ebsen — beloved by millions as Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies and later as Barnaby Jones — learned that the blaze had been caused by arson, he didn't wait for someone else to act. Together with his daughter Cathy and fellow actor and Topanga resident Allen Emerson, he began rallying his neighbors. The idea was simple: trained, visible community volunteers patrolling the mountain roads they knew best, working alongside local law enforcement to deter dangerous behavior and catch problems early.
It worked. And it stuck.
Allen Emerson's Watch
Emerson, then serving on the Topanga Town Council, was the one who turned that first burst of neighborhood energy into something lasting. When the Council asked for a volunteer to organize the effort, he was the only one to raise his hand — and he stayed at it for the next 25 years, building Arson Watch into the coordinated patrol network that covers the Santa Monica Mountains Resource Area, particularly encompassing Topanga, Calabasas, Agoura, Cornell, Seminole Hot Springs, and Malibu during this period.
Before Topanga, Emerson had spent decades as a working character actor, with credits on Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Batman, and Ironside. But neighbors here knew him differently: behind the wheel of the mobile command unit, mustache and all, in the Sheriff's Department volunteer vest he wore on patrol. He also helped write the Topanga Disaster Survival Guide and was among the small founding group behind what became the Topanga Coalition for Emergency Preparedness.
Asked in 2003 why he'd stayed with it so long, Emerson answered simply: "I enjoy it. It's very important." He coordinated Arson Watch until his death in 2007, at age 82.
How It Grew
What began as a small cadre of committed neighbors evolved into a formal volunteer program affiliated with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, operating under the guidance of the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station. Over the decades, Arson Watch weathered major fires, changing seasons, and shifting landscapes — always adapting, always showing up.
The devastating fires of recent years have only sharpened the urgency of the mission and deepened the community's commitment to it.
Where We Are Today
More than forty years later, Arson Watch remains entirely volunteer-run. The Malibu team now counts over 110 active volunteers. The Topanga team is on track to surpass 60 this year — its largest roster ever.
Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds continue to patrol during Red Flag conditions, assist during high-risk community events, and serve as trusted safety ambassadors for the mountain communities they call home. The organization relies on community contributions and grants to fund equipment, training, and outreach.
Buddy Ebsen's instinct — that neighbors looking out for neighbors is the most powerful force in fire prevention — turns out to have been exactly right.