LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT

The 'Los Angeles County Fire Department' (LACoFD), serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including the City of La Habra, in Orange County. It should not be confused with the Los Angeles Fire Department, which serves the city of Los Angeles.
The department is commanded by the Fire Chief, who has two subordinate Chief Deputies. In turn, each Chief Deputy heads either the ''Emergency Operations'' or ''Business Operations'' of the department.
The department was featured in the 1970s television series ''Emergency!'', which dramatized a department paramedic rescue squad; and before that, in the 1958 television series ''Rescue 8'', which featured a rescue squad prior to the practice of squad members also being trained as paramedics. The television show Baywatch, depicting a glamorous version of the department's lifeguards, was filmed mostly on location at L.A. County beaches.
The mission of the Los Angeles County Fire Department is
"'To protect lives, the environment and property by providing prompt, skillful and cost-effective fire protection and life safety services'."

History

The Los Angeles County Fire Department began in 1920, and was known as the 'Los Angeles County Forestry Department'. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors enlisted Stuart J. Flintham to lead the new department, and directed him to establish a program for fire prevention and fire fighting in the county. He succeeded in opening 30 ''Fire Protection Districts'', which served, and continue to serve, small towns and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

Fire Chiefs

★ Stuart J. Flintham (1920 - 1925)

★ Spence D. Turner (1925 - 1952)

★ Cecil R. Gehr (1952 - 1953)

★ Keith E. Klinger (1954 - 1969)

★ Richard H. Houts (1969 - 1977)

★ Clyde A. Bragdon (1977 - 1982)

★ John Englund (1983 - 1988)

★ P. Michael Freeman (1988 - Present)

Apparatus

LA County Fire Department's S-70A Fire Hawk during a water drop demonstration at Station 129 in Lancaster, California

LACoFD has 165 Stations which house Engines, Quints, Paramedic Squads, ESTs, Water Tenders, Patrols as well as Hazardous Materials Squads and USAR Units.
The department does not transport patients in ground ambulances. Rather, county paramedics provide treatment while privately contracted ambulances provide transportation to the hospital. Patients are carried in the department's helicopters, however.
The department operates some unique units including the Sikorsky S-70A Fire Hawk and the Bell 412, part of their Air Operations Section.

Emergency Operations

The Los Angeles County Fire Department ''Emergency Operations'' are commanded by Chief Deputy Gary Lockhart[1]. The four bureaus that the Chief Deputy oversees contain the bulk of the fire fighting and rescue personnel and apparatus that the fire department provides. Three of the bureaus consist of the neighborhood fire stations and camps that are geographically based, while the fourth bureau has specialized teams that respond throughout the county. The former three bureaus of LACoFD serve 58 cities with 21 Battalions and eleven Divisions. Each Division is commanded by an assistant chief, the only exception being the Lifeguard Division, which is led by the Chief Lifeguard. Each bureau has a regional headquarters:

★ North Region Headquarters at station 126 in Santa Clarita.

★ East Region Headquarters at station 118 in Industry.

★ Central Region Headquarters at Station 171 in Inglewood.

North Regional Operations Bureau

Currently commanded by Deputy Chief Steve Lindsey[2], and contains three divisions (including the Air and Wildland Division).

Division III

;Battalion 4

★ Altadena - 11, 12

★ Kagel Canyon - 74

★ La Canada Flintridge - 19, 82 (Battalion HQ)

★ La Crescenta - 63

★ Pasadena - 66

★ Camp 2, 15
;Battalion 6

★ Santa Clarita - 73, 76, 104, 107, 111, 123,124, 126(Battalion HQ),132,156

★ Castaic - 149

★ Chatsworth - 75

★ Gorman - 77

★ Camp 9, 12, 14

Division V

;Battalion 11

★ Antelope Acres - 112

★ Green Valley - 157

★ Lake Hughes - 78

★ Lancaster - 33 (Battalion HQ), 117, 129, 130, 134, 135

★ Leona Valley - 140

★ Quartz Hill - 84
;Battalion 17

★ Acton - 80

★ Agua Dulce - 81

★ Lake Los Angeles - 114

★ Little Rock - 92

★ Palmdale - 24 (Battalion HQ), 37, 131

★ Pearblossom - 79

★ Camp 11, 16

Air and Wildland Division

The Air and Wildland Division is commanded by an Assistant Chief, and is composed of two sections: the Fire Suppression Camp Section and the Air Operations Section^[2]. This division also oversees the Heavy Equipment and Transportation Units.

Fire Suppression Camp Section

The camp section is divided into two units, one containing the five paid/probation camps (''Camps II''), and the other containing the five inmate camps (''Camps I''). Camps I is operated in conjunction with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Camps I is composed of Camp 11, Camp 13, Camp 14, Camp 16, and Camp 19. Camps II is composed of Camp 2, Camp 8, Camp 9, Camp 12, and Camp 15. Camp 15 is operated in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Probation Department. The camps provide wildland fire suppression for the county, utilizing bulldozers as well as air support.

Air Operations Section

The Air Operations Section consists of eight helicopters which provide air support for medical rescues, search and rescue, and wildland fires. The department has three Sikorsky S-70A Fire Hawk helicopters, four Bell 412 helicopters, and one Bell 206B-3 helicopter^[3]. The headquarters for the Air Operations Section is located at Barton Heliport in Pacoima.

Central Regional Operations Bureau

Currently commanded by Deputy Chief Tommey Massey[3], and contains four divisions (including the Lifeguard Division).

Division I

;Battalion 7

★ Carson - 10 (Battalion HQ), 36, 116, 127

★ Gardena - 95

★ Rancho Dominguez - 105
;Battalion 14

★ Two Harbors - 155

★ Avalon - 55

★ Lomita - 6

★ Palos Verdes Estates - 2

★ Rancho Palos Verdes - 83, 53

★ Rolling Hills - 56

★ Rolling Hills Estates - 106 (Battalion HQ)
;Battalion 18

★ Gardena - 158 (Battalion HQ), 159

★ Hawthorne - 160-162

★ Lawndale - 21

Division VI

;Battalion 13

★ Florence - 16

★ Huntington Park - 164, 165

★ Lynwood - 147, 148

★ South Gate - 54, 57

★ Willowbrook - 41
;Battalion 20

★ Athens - 14

★ Inglewood - 170-173

★ Lennox - 18

Division VII

;Battalion 1

★ Los Angeles - 38, 58

★ Marina Del Rey - 110

★ Universal City - 51

★ West Hollywood - 7 (Battalion HQ), 8
;Battalion 5

★ Agoura - 65

★ Agoura Hills - 89

★ Calabasas - 67, 68, 125

★ Malibu - 70, (Battalion HQ), 71, 72, 88, 99

★ Topanga - 69

★ Westlake Village - 144

★ Camp 8, 13

Lifeguard Division

The Los Angeles County Lifeguard Service is an entity within the Los Angeles County Fire Department, serving the 72 mile coastline that Los Angeles County shares with the Pacific Ocean. Operating with 132 year-round lifeguards and 650 seasonal lifeguards, they staff 178 lifeguard stations and towers. The lifeguards are EMT trained.

East Regional Operations Bureau

Currently commanded by Deputy Chief Daryl Osby[4], and contains four divisions.

Division II

;Battalion 2

★ Claremont - 62, 101, 102

★ Glendora - 85, 86, 151

★ San Dimas - 64 (Battalion HQ), 141
;Battalion 16

★ Azusa - 32, 97

★ Baldwin Park - 29

★ Covina - 152, 153, 154 (Battalion HQ)

★ Duarte - 44

★ Irwindale - 48

★ Camp 19

Division IV

;Battalion 8

★ Pico Rivera - 25, 40, 103

★ Whittier - 17, 28 (Battalion HQ), 59, 96
;Battalion 9

★ Bellflower - 23, 98

★ Cerritos - 30 (Battalion HQ)

★ Hawaiian Gardens - 34

★ Lakewood - 45, 94, 122

★ Paramount - 31

★ Signal Hill - 60
;Battalion 21

★ Cerritos - 35

★ La Habra - 191-194

★ La Mirada - 49

★ Norwalk - 20, 115

★ Whittier - 15

Division VIII

;Battalion 12

★ Hacienda Heights - 91

★ Industry - 43, 87, 118

★ La Puente - 26

★ Rowland Heights - 145
;Battalion 15

★ Pomona - 181 (Battalion HQ), 182-186, 188
;Battalion 19

★ Diamond Bar - 120 (Battalion HQ), 121

★ Pomona - 187

★ Walnut - 61, 119, 146

Division IX

;Battalion 3

★ Bell - 163

★ Bell Gardens - 39

★ Commerce - 22, 27 (Battalion HQ), 50

★ East Los Angeles - 1, 3
;Battalion 10

★ El Monte - 166 (Battalion HQ), 167-169

★ South El Monte - 90

★ Rosemead - 4, 42

★ San Gabriel - 5

★ Temple City - 47

Special Operations Bureau

Currently commanded by Deputy Chief Michael Bryant[5], this bureau oversees two divisions.

Technical Operations Division

This division contains the personnel and apparatus for the Urban Search and Rescue team, HAZMAT, Swift Water Rescue, Canine Search Program, and several other programs.

Command and Control Division

This division handles the 911 calls and coordinates the communications for the department. It is more commonly known as "dispatch."

Business Operations

The Los Angeles County Fire Department's ''Business Operations'' are currently commanded by Chief Deputy Michael Dyer[6], and contain three bureaus: Prevention, Administrative, and Support Services.

External links

★ Los Angeles County Fire Department

★
★ LACoFD Air Operations Section

★ County of Los Angeles Fire Museum Association

★ Los Angeles County Firefighters Local 1014

★ Unofficial site

★ Retired Firemen of Los Angeles County Fire Department

★ Los Angeles County Disaster Communications Service ( DCS )

References

1. http://fire.lacounty.gov/PDFs/StatSummary.pdf
2. http://fire.lacounty.gov/AirWildland/FireCampsWhoWeAre.asp
3. http://fire.lacounty.gov/AirWildland/AirOpsWhoWeAre.asp

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