Day 10- March 18, 2007

Yesterday’s report should have read “Day 9” not Day 8.

To prove to you just how much I don’t hear anymore during the night, last night I missed an LA City Greater Alarm fire in San Fernando valley which occurred around 0320 hours. The fire was on Sherman Way at Hazeltine in 39’s first-due area. The first-in company reported heavy fire from a 2-story apartment building and requested two additional Task Forces.

I didn’t hear that- I read it on my pager when I got up this morning. So I don’t think I’ll continue keeping the ear plug in while I’m sleeping as it really isn’t effective any more. I used to be able to awaken when they had something hot going overnight. Somebody would yell something and I’d be awake and be able to listen to what was going on. Not any more I’m afraid. Must be my senility taking over or something.

It was really foggy again this morning. That off-shore whatever they call it was everywhere. I slept in until around 9am and headed directly to the LAX area to see new LAFD Station 5 before heading the short distance to Venice Beach. I headed in the 210, the 134 to the 2, the 2 to the 5, to the 110 to the 10 to the 405 before getting off at the Manchester exit (near Station 5). I was amazed that I made it there in 45 minutes. It is a distance of 44 miles from the motel.

It had remained overcast the entire trip (usually it burns off around 9am) and even started drizzling a little as I neared LAX. I went a in new Station 5, about a block from the southern runway at LAX. Firefighters at the station asked if I was scouting for tomorrow. I told them no and asked them why. Tomorrow they expect a huge crowd at the LAX airport around noon when the Airbus A380 lands here for the first time.

One of the younger firefighters escorted me around their new station, which was huge and well thought out. It is an L shaped station, like most of the new stations with apparatus doors going out two sides. They also have a huge training room and five-bay apparatus storage building on the back of the property. The dormitory area is on the second floor, so there are still fire poles. The captain said that the station is so well soundproofed that he can’t even hear when an apparatus leaves the apparatus bay.

Engine 5 got a run while I was taking the tour and other firefighters filled in when tour guard let with the engine. They pulled out the USAR and Ladder 5 for me and I got a photo of one of their new command centers on the back lot. One thing they did not plan too well for was the length of the bay needed to hold the USAR vehicle- there’s only a foot to spare behind and a foot and a half in front. All the firefighters at 5’s were very nice and accommodating.

I headed towards Venice Beach, but is was still very overcast and only about 60 degrees. I went by new Station 67, which is about a year from going into service. The city required a new developer that is building condos and apartments for approximately 35,000 additional people to fund a new station for the area. Station 67 used to be further east and was closed after the city moved a bunch of houses eliminating the need for 67.

I don’t know what used to be on the development site, but it is huge and there are already a ton of six-story high units going up on the eastern half of the site. I drove by LAFD Station 63, but they were closed up tight. I decided not to spend time at Venice Beach as it was still cool and very overcast. I started driving up along the ocean coast into Santa Monica. Even the Santa Monica Pier was empty. I decided to try and find some sun up in San Fernando Valley.

I hopped on the 405 again and headed up to LAFD Station 88 (yes Joe, I made it). Everybody at the station was out. The USAR had left early in the morning for a detail and the other units were all on runs. I was introduced to the person in charge of the LAFD’s FEMA operations. They have a huge warehouse building there stocked to the hilt with all kinds of equipment. They had off-duty firefighters assisting going through and doing an inventory going though each and every case making sure what was supposed to be in each was there.

1800 hours PDT – I just received a phone call from Ron Pearson. He was discharged at 1700 hours CDT today and is now home. What a relief to hear from Ron. I was worried yesterday when I called the museum and nobody knew how he was doing.

Back to the LAFD FEMA team- LAFD has a crew of about 80 personnel (assigned to various rigs) that may be activated at any time to report to anywhere in the USA. They responded to 9-ll-01 and twice to New Orleans. They have a couple semi-trailer trucks, at least two big one-piece moving vans, a number of heavy-duty four-door pickup trucks that tow various trailers, a number gator-type vehicles, three swift water rescue vehicles and who knows what else at the ready. I was really impressed with all the boxed goods ready to be loaded and sent on the road.

They took two coach buses on the last three trips. FEMA had to pay all the firefighters from the time they boarded the buses. No more. The necessary crews to drive all the vehicles will leave first and the rest of the crews will be flown to where they are to report. This saves FEMA big bucks on salaries. It’s a lot cheaper to have them all fly there than to pay them for all the hours it takes to ride to a national incident. We had a nice talk about New Orleans and the corruption in government there. The supervisor thinks that same as I do about New Orleans and that it’ is a total waste of time and money trying to rebuild New Orleans when the same situation can reoccur there at any time.

While I was there I heard RA 88 dispatched on an incident. LA’s female automated dispatch voice is so much easier to listen than Houston’s “Dispatcher Debby”. There is no comparison as to how clear the LA version is to Houston’s when I heard theirs when I visited in 2004. It even sounds clearer than Chicago’s female automated dispatcher.

I took a few photos of apparatus in the back lot before I decided to head to LAFD’s new Station 77. The sun finally broke through on the way there. Station 77 is also has apparatus doors on two sides. They only have a triple and a Rescue Ambulance right now. They currently store two loaded reserve triples and one unloaded reserve triple. I got photos of their new engine also. The area to the north of the new station is very rural with big hills and many horse ranches. There are even marked horse crossings on the streets in that area.

I headed down to the 210 freeway into the Burbank-Glendale area, but overshot my exit and ended up in Pasadena. I got off on Lake Street and stopped at Station 33 (the training area is behind the station). There were rookie crews training out in back and Ladder 32’s reserve (1985 Seagrave TDA) was out back being worked on by their master mechanic. It had heard them say they were broke down earlier in the day and they were using an ambulance and an old chiefs vehicle to respond with much of their ear in (no ladders however). Then the Chiefs vehicle had a flat in middle of the 210 freeway (with no spare). Like one of the guys said, “When it rains is pours!”

The mechanic was working of the truck trying to get it to not overheat. They thought they were ready to go, but it overheated again. They were still working on it when I left. I got a few photos of the reserve apparatus. Again, Ladder 32’s rig has been down more than it has been in service and the department only has one reserve aerial ladder, hence when the reserve broke down they were down to an ambulance and a chiefs vehicle. The captain of the ladder said the department drastically needed two new TDA’s. He said they were adding a fifth RA in Pasadena soon. He also said he thought that the city should have three aerial ladders instead of just the two they have.

I got back to the motel around 1600 hours and it was still only 60 degrees, but sunny. My plan is to get the car fixed first thing in the morning and then head to Phoenix to join the rest of the family vacationing there. My brother flies in early Tuesday morning to join us.

1908 hours- LA City has a working fire at 1339 N Fuller in Engine 41’s first due area. They were assigned to Tac 12. Engine 41 reports smoke showing in a residential over garages in the rear. Assigned to the incident were E41, RA41, TF27, RA827, TF61, E82, E52 and Bn5. Engine 41 reports some fire through the roof. This fire was reported knocked down at 1920 hours by Bn 5. They were releasing some of the companies at the time of K/D.

The radio traffic has really picked up here in the last half hour. Verdugo Dispatch, LA County Dispatch and LA City Dispatch have all had a number of full assignments go out. The problem is that I am missing one conversation as the other speaks. I need more radios! I remember when Duane and I were visiting here in the 70s we had three or more scanners going all the time just to try and listen to everything. Scanners then had only four or eight channels and required crystals (at $5/crystal). Between cities the shotgun would take the scanners apart and put different crystals in for the next city.

1938 hours- LA City has another working fire at 6926 W Clinton Street. Assigned were TF61, RA861, E27, E52, RA52, TF29, and Bn 18- all assigned to Tac 13. Light Force 61 reports they have smoke showing. Crews have been ordered to access the roof and cockloft areas. LF61 reports the fire was started by a space heater and there is little extension beyond the room of origin.

That’s all for now.

Your Roving Reporter