September 4, 2020
Here’s the latest news impacting Los Angeles Firefighters…
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LAFD Paramedics Involved In Crash While Responding To Call In Van Nuys
A Los Angeles Fire Department rescue ambulance was struck by another vehicle while responding to a call, early Thursday morning. Paramedics in LAFD Rescue 839 were responding to a call when they were struck by a black Chevrolet SUV at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Van Nuys, in the Van Nuys area, around midnight. Additional units responding to the scene discovered the rescue had minor damage but that the black Chevrolet had struck a bus stop before coming to rest against a building. One patient appeared injured in the crash.
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Missing LAFD Firefighter Probable Victim of ‘Violent Kidnapping' in Mexico, Mayor Garcetti Says
A Los Angeles firefighter who has been on medical leave might have been the victim of a violent kidnapping in Baja California, Mayor Eric Garcetti said. Garcetti opened his regular coronavirus briefing Wednesday afternoon with updates on the disappearance of LAFD firefighter Frank Aguilar, who vanished last week in Mexico. NBC4 is attempting to confirm details about the announcement. Aguilar, 48, may have been the victim of a violent kidnapping in Baja California, Garcetti said, citing Mexican authorities. Garcetti said the city was working closely with the Mexican government through the State Department and the local consul-general from Mexico to provide any necessary support in bringing Aguilar home. “I want to say very clearly to anybody who would kidnap a member of our fire department that this is a member not just of our city government family, but of our community here in Los Angeles. We will work tirelessly to make sure that Frank is returned safely. This is somebody who has put his life on the line for us and we will do everything in our power… to ensure that law enforcement in Mexico has whatever support it needs,” Garcetti said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department has been in contact with the FBI and continues to monitor the situation.
If anyone has information about his disappearance, they are encouraged to call:
(310) 477-6565
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Photo courtesy of Alex Gillman |
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LAFD Reports 5 More Coronavirus Cases, Bringing Total To 164
The Los Angeles Fire Department reported five additional employees have tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday. The total number of LAFD employees who have tested positive is 164, according to Jessica Kellogg of the Emergency Operations Center. Of those, 155 have recovered and returned to duty. Five of the remaining eight employees are isolated at home recovering, and the final three are no longer under quarantine but are continuing to recover at home, Kellogg said. The Los Angeles Police Department did not report any additional cases on Thursday. As of Tuesday, LAPD reported a total of 530 employees who have tested positive for COVID-19.
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Photo courtesy of Mike Meadows |
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LAFD Narrowly Escapes Injury in Sherman Oaks Collision
Members of the Los Angeles City Fire Department were among restaurant patrons, including an elderly couple, that narrowly escaped injury when a car crash sent a vehicle onto a sidewalk in the 13200 block of Burbank Boulevard on August 22, 2020. The entire LAFD crew put aside their noon meal to promptly attend to the driver of the silver vehicle, who was the only person injured in the collision. Once the driver, with non-life threatening injuries, was loaded in an ambulance, the crew filed reports, assisted LAPD traffic investigators and cleaned up debris at the scene.
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Video courtesy of OnScene.TV |
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Crews extinguish fire at Valley Village apartment building; 1 dog, 1 cat perish
Firefighters were able to extinguish a fierce blaze that broke out at an apartment building in Valley Village Thursday night. The flames were reported shortly after 10 p.m. at 5312 N. Radford Ave., according to an alert from the Los Angeles Fire Department. Fire officials said it took about 30 minutes to put out the blaze. Paramedics were seen treating one person at the scene, but authorities reported no injuries. Two animals, however, one cat and one dog, perished inside the structure, according to the department. About 75 firefighters responded to the blaze, according to the Fire Department.
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Photo courtesy of Greg Doyle |
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Fire Erupts at Homeless Encampment near Van Nuys Airport
The Los Angeles City Fire Department made quick work by ground and air, of a homeless encampment fire that erupted in the railroad (Metrolink) right-of-way north of Van Nuys Airport, near the intersection of Roscoe Place and De Celis Place on the evening of August 22, 2020. No structures were threatened and there were no injuries.
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Flames Tear Through Attic Of Van Nuys Home
A fire victim in Van Nuys was wheeled away to an ambulance for evaluation Friday after a fire erupted inside a home. Flames were shooting from the roof of a residence on the 7100 block of north Mammoth Avenue. Fire crews said they had to get around excessive storage conditions inside the structure to fight the flames. The fire extended into the attic but was prevented from spreading to any neighboring residences. There were no immediate details on what sparked the fire though Los Angeles Fire Department Arson section responded for an investigation.
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Video courtesy of Rick McClure |
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Travel Trailer Destroyed by Fire in Mission Hills
The Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to the 15500 block of Romar Street early August 16, 2020 to find and quickly extinguish a vacant travel trailer that was fully engulfed in flames.
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Large Fire Engulfs South LA Commercial Building
A large blaze erupted at a large commercial building in South Los Angeles early Thursday morning. The blaze broke out in the 2600 block of Broadway Street before 1:30 a.m. Dozens of firefighters arrived on scene to find heavy flames and smoke billowing from the roof. It took about 80 firefighters to bring the blaze under control, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson said. No surrounding buildings were damaged and there were no reported injuries. Arson investigators were on scene working to determine a cause. It was no immediately clear what was housed in the building.
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Photo courtesy of Rick McClure |
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Victory Boulevard building catches fire in North Hollywood
A fire broke out in a three-story commercial building in North Hollywood Thursday night, but no injuries were reported. The fire, which was burning on the first floor and into the building’s elevator shaft, was reported about 9 p.m. on the 12100 block of Victory Boulevard, near Laurel Canyon Boulevard in the Valley Plaza area, according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Firefighters were initially told a person may be trapped inside the building, but no one was found, Prange said. Sixty-three firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 30 minutes.
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Crews contain brush fire along 134 Freeway in Eagle Rock area
Firefighters said they’ve contained a brush fire that broke out along the 134 Freeway in the Eagle Rock area on Saturday afternoon. The half-acre fire burned near the eastbound lanes by the onramp to the northbound 2 Freeway, the Glendale Fire Department said at 1:13 p.m. Crews were mopping up just before 2 p.m. The 134 and 2 freeways could remain partially closed through around 2:30 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. Big clouds of smoke rose over the 134 as motorists passed through the freeway, video showed. Officials deployed air and ground crews from the city of L.A., Glendale and Pasadena, officials said.
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South LA RV Fire Spreads to Structure
An RV, parked in South Los Angeles, caught on August 21, 2020. The flames spread to two other vehicles before spreading to a converted garage where a family was living at the time of the fire. All occupants are believed to have made it out safely from the converted garage. The LAFD quickly went to work and got a knock down of the fire before it could spread to other nearby buildings.
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FedEx plane makes emergency landing at LAX; pilot injured
A pilot was injured after a FedEx plane made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport Wednesday morning. A mechanical issue was reported on the Boeing 767-300 prior to its landing attempt, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The malfunction was to the left main landing gear, which the crew was unable to extend, Ian Gregor with the Federal Aviation Administration said. Video showed sparks coming from the bottom of the plane as it skidded down one of the airport’s runways shortly before 5 a.m. The injured person was taken to a local hospital with an injury that was not considered to be life threatening, the Los Angeles Fire Department stated in a news alert.
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Photo courtesy of Rick McClure |
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Multi Vehicle Collision Critically Injures Two
At 9:47PM on August 16, 2020 the Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to a reported traffic collision in the 12500 block of W Victory Bl in Victory Glen. A total of six patients were evaluated and two transported in critical condition.
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Teen Motorist Arrested for DUI in Crash Involving Metro Bus and Car in East LA
A teenage motorist who allegedly ran a red light while impaired, triggering a collision with a Metro bus that seriously injured two of his passengers in East Los Angeles, has been released to the custody of his parents as authorities weigh the filing of criminal charges in the case, according to the California Highway Patrol. The teen, whose name was not released because he is underage, suffered minor injuries, as did 10 people on the bus, the CHP reported. The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived on the scene of the crash promptly and render aid to the driver and those on the bus.
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Water main break topples trees, sends water flooding into UCLA campus
A water main ruptured in Westwood early Sunday morning, toppling trees and sending rising flood waters to the UCLA campus, officials said. The break was reported around 1:30 a.m. in the area of 10630 W. Sunset Blvd., before water began entering the southern part of the campus and one residential property on the north side of Sunset Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. UCLA staff protected the nearby Pauley Pavilion from the water with sandbags. LAFD said the floodwater is not threatening any student housing in the area and no evacuations were ordered, but the flooding may impact other nearby campus facilities.
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Two-Car Crash Injures Six In Valley Glen
A two-car crash left six people injured, Sunday night. Authorities responded to reports of a traffic collision in the 12500 block of Victory Boulevard in the Valley Glen area around 9:47 PM. Units arriving on scene located a two-car crash with six people injured. Firefighter paramedics treated and transported all of the patients, including one pregnant female, to area hospitals. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
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Hit and Run Driver Topples Hydrant in Hyde Park
Firefighters from LAFD Fire Station 94 preceded utility officials to stem the flow of water from a fire hydrant sheared by a hit-and-run driver in the 5100 block of South 5th Avenue on August 28, 2020.
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Driver Tries To Flee After Crash At DUI Checkpoint In Pacoima
A suspected DUI driver tried to flee but was quickly apprehended after crashing at a DUI checkpoint, Saturday night. Officers were manning a DUI checkpoint in the 13800 block of Van Nuys Boulevard in the Pacoima area when a crash occurred around 9:45 PM. A blue sedan had rear-ended a red SUV stopped at the checkpoint and then fled the scene. The driver was quickly stopped and apprehended by officers. The driver of the red SUV was treated and transported by firefighter paramedics.
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Driver Strikes Hydrant Causing 50-Foot Geyser In Vermont Square
A 50-foot geyser shot in to the air for about 15 minutes after a crash sheared a fire hydrant, Sunday night. Authorities responded to reports of a traffic collision involving a fire hydrant at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Brighton Avenue in the Vermont Square area around 9:11 PM. Units arriving on scene located a vehicle that had struck a fire hydrant causing it to shear. A 50-foot geyser shot into the air for about 15 minutes until firefighters shut off the flow of water. The driver was uninjured and remained on scene.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Eckenrode |
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Multi-Agency Hiker Response
On August 30, 2020 the LAFD responded with the Ventura County Fire Department to reports of an injured hiker. Firefighters on the ground assisted with the treatment and loading of a patient transported, who was transported to a local hospital by a Ventura County Sheriff Air Operations helicopter.
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Man Killed, Woman Seriously Injured After Crash In West Los Angeles
A 22-year-old Los Angeles man was dead and a 20-year-old Los Angeles woman was seriously injured after a high-speed crash that destroyed a car, early Monday morning. The crash was reported on the Venice Boulevard off ramp from the southbound I-405 Freeway around 4:53 AM. When units arrived on scene they found a mangled 2008 Audi A4 occupied by a 22-year-old male and a 20-year-old female. Both were from Los Angeles. Firefighter paramedics pronounced the male victim deceased on scene and rushed the female victim to an area hospital with major injuries.
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Photo by Apu Gomes via Getty Images |
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An 'Unprecedented Number Of Large Fires' Have Fire Officials Warning Resources Are Getting Scarce
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said this morning that its firefighting resources are at threat of being depleted as hundreds of fires, including 23 major fires, burn throughout the state. Here in Southern California we’re still contending with the Lake Fire (26,000 acres), the Dome Fire (43,000 acres) and the Ranch 2 fire (4,200 acres), which are still threatening communities and destroying ecosystems across the region. None are more than 40% contained. The Los Angeles Fire Department said that they have ample resources on hand to help on 911 calls.
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ABC 7 Unveils Wildfire/Air Quality Tracking Map
Check out the latest information on all the large fires burning in California and check air quality using the interactive map provided by our friends at ABC 7 News. The map is updated with data from CAL FIRE, the National Interagency Fire Center and the U.S. Air Quality Index. To learn more about a specific fire on the map, click on the flame icon in a select area to open a new window that will provide more detailed information on that specific fire.
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Photo by Forth Worth Star-Telegram |
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North Texas volunteer firefighter dies battling California wildfires, officials say
A volunteer firefighter from North Texas who went to California to help in the efforts to tame the state’s devastating wildfires died on the job Monday, according to the Cresson Volunteer Fire Department. The Los Angeles Fire Department said in a comment its members send “their deepest condolences” to the Cresson department “in the loss of a devoted guardian who bravely and selflessly responded to protect others from the ravages of wildfire.” A woman who said she’s a family member wrote, “She was a true hero and the absolute best person. She would drop what she was doing to help out.”
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California Fires Claim 4 Lives, Threaten Thousands of Homes
Sky-darkening wildfires that took at least five lives and forced thousands of people from their homes blazed throughout California on Friday as firefighting resources strained under the vastness of the infernos authorities were trying to control. Tens of thousands of homes were threatened by flames that drove through dense and bone-dry trees and brush. Many of the fires were sparked by lightning strikes from brief thunderstorms this week as a high-pressure area over the West brought a dangerous mix of triple-digit weather and monsoonal moisture pulled from the south. Some fires doubled in size in 24 hours, fire officials said. The fires have destroyed at least 175 buildings, including homes, and threatened tens of thousands more.
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Photo courtesy of the LAFD |
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LAFD Members Place Cal OES Command Support Unit Into Service; Deployed to SCU Lightening Complex (Santa Clara)
On Monday, August 24, 2020, members of your LAFD traveled to California Governor's Office of Emergency Services to receive training and put into service a Cal OES Command Support Unit. The LAFD has ongoing agreements with Cal OES to facilitate the staffing and deployment of Type III Engines, Type II Hazardous Materials Apparatus and an Incident Command Support Unit. To translate – our department provides extensive support to help make deployments flow smoothly from an administrative standpoint. In addition to deploying across the state, it will also be housed and used here to support LAFD operations. Immediately after taking charge of the rig...the LAFD members the receive it were deployed to the SCU Lightening Complex (Santa Clara) with the unit.
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Photo courtesy of the LAFD |
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Concerned Citizen Hears Fait Cry For Help; Leads to Rescue of Stranded Woman
Shortly after sunset on Sunday, August 30, 2020, Peter Asco heard a faint noise from his balcony in Bel-Air, but could not immediately determine what it was. Peering intently into the dark canyon below, he certainly did not see anything unusual. While many people would have simply gone about their evening routine, Mr. Asco trusted his instinct that something was amiss. A musician by hobby, he pulled out a directional microphone to amplify the noise, and heard what faintly sounded to him like the word, "help".
Mr. Asco wasn’t sure if he had really heard someone calling for help or not, but he followed his instinct…and you can read the rest of this story by clicking HERE.
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Remembering Our Fallen Brothers & Sisters |
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Fire Inspector
Harold B. Hogan (Ret.)
Deceased: 09/01/2020
Appointment: 01/29/1959
Assignment: FPB, Harbor Industrial
Retired: 02/10/1991
Engineer
Fred G. Haarman (Ret.)
Deceased: 08/22/2020
Appointment: 04/20/1963
Assignment: FS49
Retired: 09/01/2002
Engineer
Theodore R. Stevens (Ret.)
Deceased: 07/29/2020
Appointment: 06/16/1952
Assignment: FS24
Retired: 06/27/1979
Assistant Chief
David W. Sloan (Ret.)
Deceased: 07/15/2020
Appointment: 02/20/1960
Assignment: Division 1-B
Retired: 05/07/1989
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Engineer
Theodore R. Stevens (Ret.)
Deceased: 07/29/2020
Appointment: 06/16/1952
Assignment: FS24
Retired: 06/27/1952
Fire Inspector
John C. Wolfe (Ret.)
Deceased: 08/11/2020
Appointment: 02/09/1963
Assignment: FPB Underground Tanks
Retired: 04/08/1990
Captain II
Michael T. Hilliger (Ret.)
Deceased: 06/15/2020
Appointment: 05/13/1972
Assignment: FS20
Retired: 02/04/1999
Engineer
John K. Parker (Ret.)
Deceased: 06/15/2020
Appointment: 04/14/1974
Assignment: FS80-B
Retired: 04/30/2007
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Fireman
John C. Polikaitis (Ret.)
Deceased: 07/10/2020
Appointment: 03/16/1948
Assignment: FS40
Retired: 06/01/1978
Engineer
Alec Macko (Ret.)
Deceased: 08/03/2020
Appointment: 05/01/1950
Assignment: FS73
Retired: 06/29/1980
Firefighter III
Jose M. Perez
Deceased: 07/25/2020
Appointment: 12/08/2003
Assignment: FS21-C
Fireman
Alfred B. Raine (Ret.)
Deceased: 07/12/2020
Appointment: 12/19/1955
Assignment: FS74-A
Retired: 01/01/1976
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2019 LAFD Year In Review Photo Book
On behalf of the more than 3,400 Firefighters, Paramedics, Dispatchers, Pilots, and Inspectors of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City IAFF Local 112 (UFLAC), we are proud to present the 2018 Los Angeles Fire Department Year in Review photo book. UFLAC’s mission is to lead the way to protect and advocate for the health, safety, working conditions, wages and benefits of our members and their families. This publication helps to tell the story of our dedicated members who protect lives and property in Los Angeles 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
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In 2019, our Firefighters and Paramedics responded to more than 453,000 emergency calls for service throughout the City of Los Angeles - an average of 1,200 emergency calls per day. As an all-risk fire and rescue agency serving more than four million people, we are ready to answer any call that may come our way. UFLAC is honored to help showcase the dedication and commitment demonstrated by the men and women of the LAFD. Click HERE to view this publication.
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About UFLAC: Since 1918, UFLAC has been the labor organization of the proud men and women that serve as firefighters and emergency medical responders protecting the City of Los Angeles. The members of the Los Angeles Fire Department rely on UFLAC to focus on the wellbeing and safety of those that protect the lives of others. For more information, visit www.uflac.org.
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