Fire trucks: big, shiny, and red
Of course I take all my wonderful commenters equally seriously, but I was puzzled and concerned with what commenter Scott said the other day:
The brush patrols and Hummers dont even qualify as a type 4 apparatus. The engines that were called from Downtown, Hollywood, S. Central did they even meet OES type 1 status? Were they equipped and trained to make an offensive attack using progressive hose lays, can the LAFD firefighters support dozers/crew lines for firing operations. Were fixed wing aircraft used on initial attack to “:paint” the area ahead of the fire with fire retardant? It wasn’t until the following morning that CDF S-2 air attack crews were called in. Also so the taxpayers know, it was dragged out for 4 days so the State would flip for the bill.
Is it possible that the LAFD was using the wrong trucks for this fire?
(Because why should dalmations have all the fun? pb Liz Kearley of Teddy, a long-haired dachshund.)
Now, I can only identify a couple of cars, let alone trucks, let alone FIRE trucks. So I decided to give the Fire Department a call today. And who should pick up but my very first commenter from that thread, Officer Brian Humphrey! And here’s a picture of him and a very nice article about him! I had already known his name from several positive references Kevin Roderick had made on lao. We introduced ourselves and I asked him the big question. I was very disappointed to find out that he confirmed what Scott said: The LAFD has only OES type 1 trucks, nothing higher. None of the three other types which are recommended for wildland fires!
Okay, I was more like shocked. I don’t know exactly when fire season begins and ends, but I guess it’s every day this year, as the Post reports this is LA’s driest year in 130 years, with only 3.21 inches of rain. We already lost over 25% of Griffith Park to fire, and at every meeting I’ve been at since, the Rangers say it’s getting more unrainy all the time.
There’s a saying in the unions: If you don’t have the tools, don’t take the job. Of course, in this case it could have been that the City of Los Angeles didn’t approve a Fire Department budget for necessary trucks. Can’t Los Angeles beg, borrow, or steal a much needed truck for wildlands for as long as this season lasts? Did the “wrong” trucks have anything to do with the lengthy time it took to control the fire? God bless our great firefighters in this country, for always going above and beyond the call of duty. For being heroes. But how can they do their best work if they don’t have the right equipment? (Or MAYBE, training, or better management…)
Officer Humphrey said none of the neighboring Fire Departments have the three other types of trucks either, but Ventura County does. I strongly suggest we become BFF with Ventura til this blows over.
I also asked him about the part of Scott’s comment that suggests the fire lasted 4 days to get some type of State aid. This would be so heinous and immoral that I can’t believe it could be true. He compared firefighters to a football team: the team may or may not have great ratings, but all the players care about is winning the game. I believe him.
But I decided to call the State Department of Finance, just to see what they would say. They pretty much didn’t know anything about it, but said it’s the Office of Emergency Services that decides who gets what money. Then I called the LA office of Governor Schwarzenegger to ask them. A pause, and then William No-Name there said the OES makes determinations of money amounts based on acreage and property damage, not amount of time the fire rages. (over 800 acres, in this case.) And acreage burned has an effect on aid from the State. So I can’t prove or disprove what Scott suggested…not yet, anyway.
Please don’t let it be true that any city would let anything at all burn just to get outside aid. I refuse to give up my innocence. It just isn’t right.
Donna Barstow
Griffith Park is the 2nd biggest park in the US, and I'm just the person to investigate it! I've lived here for over 25 years. I was part of the PROS Committee in Griffith Park Neighborhood Council and am on the Housing & Tenants Rights Committee in the Silver Lake NC. I'm in the LA Press Club, and you can find some of my articles in the LA Weekly and the Los Feliz Ledger. I'm a cartoonist for Parade Magazine, The New Yorker, LA Times, Slate, & most major media. Questions and contacts welcome.
4 Comments
Jason Randall
Donna, it’s refreshing to see that you’re interested in the reactions of others when you create a post, and more to the point, to the facts that relate to your post. Good for you.
With regard to firefighting apparatus within the City of Los Angeles, it’s important to note that L.A. is one of the most unique environments any fire service organization could imagine. There are multiple airports, the largest container harbor (and growing passenger ship use, too), high-rise buildings, congested urban and high-end residential neighborhoods, not to mention brush-filled canyons and industrial buildings. No matter how you look at it, the complexity is daunting.
The LAFD operates a bit differently from many other fire departments. In many communities, firefighters have a specialty – they might be truckies (ladder company), engine firefighters, or medics. In L.A. firefighters rotate among all types of apparatus. Because of that, each firefighter is capable at multiple tasks. When you consider that there are, on average, only 1,000 firefighters on duty at any time (to protect more than 4 million people), it’s a vital and value-proven strategy.
As for apparatus, a similar style of fireground management is used. In L.A. fire companies are broken into several types. There is a basic engine company (one fire engine, typically a triple combination [hose, water, pump]). There is a task force (truck company, engine company, 2nd engine [referred to as the pump, although it’s usually a triple]). In a task force station, the engine often operates individually, while the pump and the truck operate together as a “lite force.”
There’s an important method to the madness: A light force can be first in at a structure fire and the commander can assign his firefighters to ventilation, fire attack and rescue. Because the firefighters rotate their “jobs” the commander can make any adjustment to fulfill the assignment for the best safety and protection of lives and property.
As it relates to brush, the city is actually very well prepared. In addition to the resources of 104 fire stations, there are four brush patrols, six helicopters, and a very well equipped tractor team. If you’re interested in learning more, you might want to visit Fire Station 88 in the San Fernando Valley. As an aside, the city also has five fire boats, including the largest fireboat in the U.S. (Fireboat 2).
Firefighting isn’t just about apparatus. It’s about several critical things: incident command, proper tools, and proper relationships with other agencies. There are relatively few brush fires in L.A. city. The areas of brush that are contained within the city are unlike forest areas – or Ventura County for that matter. Specialized brush apparatus would be ill-used at a structure fire and as such, don’t offer the city the versatility that is required in L.A.
Brush fires in L.A. require the rapid deployment of city resources, the cooperation of state and city agencies close to L.A. and a unified command system to protect the lives of firefighters battling the blaze, as well as to effectively combat and destroy the threat.
In the case of Griffith Park, I personally saw brush-equipped CDF teams on scene within two hours of the initial response. There were apparatus and teams from Beverly Hills, Glendale, Pasadena, and of course, the county of Los Angeles. The ICP (incident command post) at the Greek Theater was in place nearly immediately and fire officers were quickly looking at the overall parameters of the fire and how to both put it out and protect property and lives.
So, while it would be nice to have more brush-specific apparatus in L.A., it really doesn’t make a lot of sense to do so. The apparatus in the city that is used is versatile, modern, and durable. By the way, our fire department equipment is all labeled with CLASS 1 on the side of the rigs. The National Insurance Underwriters used this ranking system (recently discontinued) to highlight those departments that kept losses below a certain dollar figure per acre. L.A. has nearly always been near the top of all fire agencies in the U.S.
And, please don’t give the commanders here short shrift either. While there are certainly politics to be aware of, nearly all LAFD officers spend countless hours training, teaching, practicing and working to improve all tactics and strategies related to their profession.
What you might want to investigate are the real dangers related to brush fires here: narrow streets that are blocked by cars, dumpsters, and other obstacles; brush clearance violations, and a general lack of preparedness by homeowners in high risk areas. Oh, and as it relates to this issue, note that the city of L.A. will conduct a homeowner evacuation drill in Hollywood (near the GP), on 28 July. Local homeowner associations have the details, as does the LAFD.
Donna
Jason, thanks for all the inside info!
I can’t ask the right questions without a direction to go in, so thanks!
You brought up some interesting points, including the fact that maybe we don’t have forest-fire type areas inside the city. It was also good info that firefighters in LA are skilled in multiple areas, not just one. But I have to agree mostly with this: “it would be nice to have more brush-specific apparatus in L.A..”
And don’t forget one of your earlier comments, which gives me hope for the future: “I’m sure there were things the LAFD could have done better. But one thing I’ve learned from being in Los Angeles – the LAFD doesn’t let problems occur twice. They’ll learn from the GP fire.”
Donna Barstow
Admin is here, and up on the about me tab, and on every single post here.