firepost

I understand that as of June 17th, Truck (Tower Ladder) 3 was relocated to Station 8 and now is Truck company 8. Apparently the fire administration saw that there was a Truck Coverage gap on the east side of Town so they decided to relocate a Truck company there to better cover the area.

Is Battalion 5's quarters now at Engine 57? If so when did they relocate ,right after they opened Engine 57 or did they wait awhile before they decided to relocate the Battalion Chief? Thanks

Thanks for printing the link to the article, Casey, I have been trying to follow that story. I wonder what is it with the people who live in that neighborhood in Van Nuy's? Los Angeles had built about 19 new stations over the last approximately 10 years and I hadn't heard of any civilian complaints or threatened lawsuits with any of the other fire stations that were built. The people who live in that residential neighborhood next to the proposed fire station are what are known a NIMBY'S which translated means Not In My Back Yard. They like to have the fire department when they need it but they don't want it nearby (within earshot). In other words they want to have their cake and eat it too.

I know that Las Vegas Proper has a Class One ISO rating but didn't the urban area of Clark County also have a Class One rating as well at one time? I know that the Clark County fire department currently has a Class 2 rating within the urban areas that are covered by the paid department . Were they downgraded or am I just mistaking what I had thought was at one time to be a Class One rating of Clark County with that of Las Vegas proper?

I too am surprised that Clark County would disband their Technical Rescue and Haz Mat team,considering not only the size of the County but also because the strategic assets and hazards within the jurisdiction of the Clark County fire department such as the the "Strip" with their hotels and resorts as well as the Airport. As the bulk of today's strip is actually located with municipal Clark County as opposed to Las Vegas proper ,disbanding both units seems almost unthinkable. Were the Technical and Hazardous Materials Units in Clark County also cross manned or were they dedicated units? I would assume that they were crossmanned and if a unit is cross manned then it really shouldn't be that much of a financial burden as the crews would be from an already existing fire company anyway. I do remember that the Technical Rescue Unit in Clark County was this large Tractot/Trailer type of Heavy Rescue Squad.

Thanks I was wondering about how the CBRNE company was run. It is surprising to me that the HAZMAT company is cross manned and that the CBRNE isn't as I would have figured that the HAZ Mat company would be used more then the CBRNE company.

Thanks for the information Cadet. While you mentioned that the CBRNE sometimes will function as the RIT company I was wondering if the CBRNE company is basically what would be called a Hazardous Material Unit but perhaps with some additional equipment? I was also wondering if the the CBRNE unit can also function as a Heavy Rescue unit or is it's function basically a manpower unit with the added responsibility of being a CBRNE unit. There aren't that many fire departments that have a CBRNE company whose sole function and identity is that of being a CBRNE company. In most cities and fire departments they have Haz Mat companies which would probably function as CBRNE companies if necessary.

Thank's Cadet. That's a surprise that the new Engines on order are not from Pierce which is what Las Vegas had been ordering Pierce products for quite a while now. What brand chassis and cab will the Smeal Engines be built on? Since the subject is on the Las Vegas Fire Department I was wondering what the normal response are on some of the more common calls such as a structure fire. On the structure fire dispatch and response does Las Vegas always send the same amount of apparatus or does it vary as to if it is a single family dwelling ,versus an apartment building and a commercial structure. Does LVFD or the Clark County Fire Department have a separate response policy for High Rise buildings such as Hotels on the strip. Who normally is given the RIT (rapid intervention team) assignment, the third engine? Or if it is a working fire does the commanding officer have to call for a working fire response and a RIT company gets sent after the call is confirmed to be a working fire? Thanks again.

Are there any plans to actually put any additional Truck companies in service because if I'm correct the so called new Truck companies are really relocated companies that are changing their identities? Wasn't Truck 4 also relocated several years ago to become another Truck company? Are there any plans to put an Engine in service with Truck 7 yet? If I'm right there are still only 6 Truck companies in service, or are any of the Trucks actually new companies? Which Truck company did former Truck 4 become? Thanks.

I was wondering if there have been any changes in the normal response requirements on the Category A and B fires over the last few years? I know that several years ago before the recession and the cutbacks in the LAFD the normal response on a Category A (single occupancy house) was not less then 4 fire suppression companies which included not less then one Light Force plus a Battalion Chief and 2 Rescue Ambulances. A Category B (multiple dwelling apartment buildings, commercial structures hospitals factories ,high rises and higher risk structures) would get no less then 6 fire suppression companies which meant nothing less then 2 Light Forces and 4 Engines plus 2 Ambulances and a Battalion Chief. I believe that an EMS Chief would also respond and in areas that were near a Squad a Hazmat Squad would also go on the assignment.. Were those response requirements reduced by one fire company so instead of 4 companies on a Category A only 3 will be dispatched and on a Category B only 5 Instead of 6 suppression companies would be dispatched? I have seen some response sheets and it appears that they may have reduced the required responses but I'm not completely sure. Another question is that in those responses that were required it has also stated that the third Engine on a Category A and the fourth Engine on a Category B be assigned to the Command Post. What exactly is that supposed to mean Does it mean that the Engine is supposed to help operate the "Command Post" or does it just mean that the Engine first reports to the Command Post for a fire ground assignment? It would appear to me that to have an Engine company operate the Command Post would be a waste of manpower and resouces that can better be used at fighting the fire or at least functioning as a RIT (Rapid Intervention Team) so I would like to clarify what exactly the "Command Post" Engine is supposed to do at the Command Post? I remember that in the 1970s and at least part of the 1980's the Category A's used to only get only 3 fire companies which were 2 Engines and 1 Light Force while a Category B would get a minimum of 5 fire companies which were 3 Engines and 2 Light Forces. So when was that changed and have the Category A's and B's been modified again?

These are the Category response guidelines from 2004 however they may have been changed since then == CATEGORY A: Not less than Four Fire Companies, including not less than one Truck, plus a Battalion Chief and closest RA. CATEGORY B: Not less than Six Fire Companies, including not less than two Trucks, plus a Battalion Chief and closest RA. Upon arrival and confirmation of a working fire, the closest Paramedic Ambulance is added to the Category A or B assignment.

This is a sample of what I'm talking about Category "A" Assignment:2 Engines(1 as Command Post Company) 1 Light Force 1 ALS Rescue Ambulance 1 BLS Rescue Ambulance 1 Battalion Chief 1 EMS Captain Category "B" Assignment:3 Engines(1 as Command Post Company) 2 Light Forces 1 ALS Rescue Ambulance 1 BLS Rescue Ambulance 1 Squad 1 Battalion Chief 1 EMS Captain

Thanks for the reply Mr Ranger. It just seems a little unusual that the third Engine company would be designated for the "command post" as in most places that third Engine would be used as a RIT (rapid intervention company) so that's why I was wondering whether in LA the third Engine is actually used for command post "duties" or whether it was just meant to report to the command post for orders ,however that in most cases would naturally be assumed without having to designate that third Engine as "for the command post" that the engine would report to the command post for an assignment.

That's great news.I look forward to all of the Engines going back in service as well as the 7 missing light forces.

Ricardo the Snorkel that was at Station 95 was reassigned there after the Heavy Duty Task Forces were taken out of service in 1978. That 50 foot Snorkel was one of the 4 50 foot Snorkels that I wrote about.

Thanks for publishing that photo of the San Diego Snorkel. That was really a beautiful rig. Did you know that San Diego was still running a Snorkel at Truck 14 until between 2007 and 2010. IIt was a 1992/93 Pierce. I understand that the Snorkel is no longer around in San Diego. San Diego was one of a few West Coast (California) fire departments that had still run with Snorkels until recent years. San Diego had also purchase 4 Tower Ladders which are no longer around either.

The Los Angeles City Fire Department had owned 6 Snorkels. Two of them were full sized 85 footers and were painted yellow which was the color of the Specialized Apparatus which is also why the Heavy Utility rig which years later was renamed the Heavy Rescue was initially painted yellow. The two 85 foot Snorkels were assigned strictly as Snorkel companies. One was located at old Station 3 and the other was located at the old Station 27. After Snorkel 3 had flipped over in an unfortunate accident and firefighter Thomas Collier died on July 6th 1970. Both of the large Snorkels were taken out of service. It was found that the reason for the accident was improper use of the outriggers. The LA City fire department also had four 50 Snorkel/Pumpers that were built onto Crown Engines, the 4 Snorkel Pumpers had run as the Wagons of several Heavy Duty Task Forces which ran with an Aerial Ladder unit a 2 piece Engine company and a Single piece Engine company. LA City had been running with 5 Heavy Duty Task Forces however the 5th Heavy Duty Task Force had run with a 50 foot Squirt as opposed to a 50 foot Snorkel which ran on the other 4 Heavy Duty Task Forces. The four Heavy Task Forces that had run with 50 foot Snorkels were Task Forces 27, 61,11 and 3. The fifth Task Force was Task Force 9,however Task Force 9 ran with a Squirt. There was another Task Force that wasn't a Heavy Duty Task Force that only ran with a 2 piece Engine and the Wagon was a Squirt that had run on Task Force 29. In 1978 due to a major statewide reduction in property tax rates which was known as the Jarvis amendment or Proposition 13 the city of LA had to make cuts in the fire department so all of the Heavy Duty Task Forces were down graded to regular Task Forces so the 50 foot Snorkel Pumpers and the Squirt Pumper were removed from the Heavy Duty Task Forces. A few of the Snorkel Pumpers were reassigned to a few other fire companies for a few years however by the mid 1980's most of them were taken out of service. Two of the four 50 foot Snorkels had been removed from the Engines that they were on and the Engines had received new bodies and were put back in service with out the Snorkels.One of the Squirts had been assigned to Task Force 73 until the mid 1980's and one of the Snorkels had been assigned to Task Force 95 at the airport. Another Snorkel had been reassigned to Engine 40 at LA Harbor and one of the other units was reassigned to Engine 13 however they were out of service by the late 1980's.

I hope that the information that you heard is correct about the white aerials because even though the new rig looks good ,overall, the gray aerial sticks out like a sore thumb and the white aerials just look better ,considering that the rest of LA's fleet uses white aerial ladders. Speaking of Ladder (Truck) companies has there been any talk of LA city putting any of the 7 Trucks back in service that were taken out of service during the recession? I know that the LA fire department really took some severe cuts with 7 Trucks (Light Forces) and 11 Engines taken out of service.I know that about 3 Engines have been put back in service with the most recent one being 209 so I was hoping that perhaps they have may have plans to at least put one or two Light forces back in service or is that just wishful thinking?

Is Scottsdale currently running with 4 Ladder or Truck companies or have they added any additional Ladder Trucks? Are these 4 stations the ones with Aerial Ladders assigned. Stations 2 ,6 11 and 15? Are stations 2 and 6 both running with Tower Ladders and Ladder Tenders? I know that as of a couple of years ago Station 11 was assigned a 75 foot Aerial Ladder/Quint. Is Station 15 also using a 75 foot Aerial Ladder/Quint or are they usiing a different type of Aerial device. Are the 2 new Tower Ladder that are on order going to replace the Tower Ladders at stations 2 and 6 or do they anticipate putting new Ladder companies in service or reassigning the new Tower Ladders elsewhere? Is this information current or have any changes been made recently? Thanks

Thanks for all the information on the San Diego Truck fleet as it's been awhile since I have gotten any up to date information myself. It really appears that San Diego's Truck 1's Crimson is a real Lemon from day 1 as I remember that when San Diego first received in it had spent much time back at the dealer possibly the factory. I hope that San Francisco has more luck with it's Spartan/Erv tillers then San Diego has had with it's Tillered Aerial. I am impressed with San Diego's fleet of Pierce's and apparently San Diego likes them also as San Diego has been a repeat Pierce customer in recent years while I understand that the KME Engines are either going back or being given to slower companies. Sorry to hear that the Pierce Snorkel that been assigned to Truck 14 is no longer around as San Diego was one of a handful of "hold out" fire departments that was still using the Snorkel. I am surprise that one of the Tower Ladders is still around. I wonder it is ever actually still used as an active reserve unit?

There are some people on this site who I'm sure have more detailed and accurate information then I do ,but I can tell you that the 1989 Spartan/LTI Tower Ladders have not been regularly assigned to an Ladder or Truck company for quite a few years and I'm not even sure that any of them are still in the reserve Fleet. The Pierce Snorkel that had been assigned to Truck 14 until they received their Pierce several years ago was being used as a Reserve Piece but what little I know is a few years old and dated so I can't even say if the rig is still around. The list that you are using is severely dated and inaccurate. Ladder 43 and 41 haven't been in service for quite a while (like the 1990's). When Ladders were last assigned to stations 41 and 43 they were "jump" companies which meant that if the Ladder rig was needed the Engine crew would become the Ladder company and the Engine would go out of service. I don't know if "Rescue Kujo" still gets on this site or not , because on the old EMT Bravo west site from a few years ago he was a major blogger on San Diego's emergency services and there were some post's on San Diego's Truck companies that I had started and Rescue Kujo was able to supply information on. When the old EMT Bravo West was temporarily closed for several months, many of the older postings and San Diego's fire apparatus were either deleted or erased. I am not personally aware of a 75 foot Pierce Quint in San Diego however the KME one I am familiar with and there had been 4 Spartan/Saulsbury/LTI 75 foot rear mounted (single rear axle) Ladders from the 1990's that had been assigned as Truck companies until they were replaced by the newer Pierce 105 foot Aerial Ladders. Some of them may still be around as spare Ladders. San Diego also did have 4 Tower Ladders from the late 1980s however I know that the oldest one and probably most of the others were gotten rid of several years ago. I don't know if any of them are still on the premises but their last assignments which were in the late 1990's were at Trucks 10 and 28 and at Trucks 41 and 43 as "Jump companies" . I would be surprised if any of them are still around. Perhaps the Snorkel that was assigned to Truck 14 is still around? In recent years (meaning the late 1990's ) Trucks 1 and 35 had been assigned TDA's (Tillered Aerial Ladders) however I know that when Truck 1 received their new one in the early 2000's they were having problems with it and it was sent back to the dealer for work. Apparently it looks like Truck 35 is using a rear mounted Aerial these days. It appears that San Diego has gone for a more or less standardized fleet of Engines and Trucks which makes things simpler and more cost effective. I'm sure that there are people on this site that have much more up to date information then I do.

This study is also calling for a "Standards of Coverage" report to be put together which usually is a more detailed and specific document as to what the Fire Department expects to be the response times and the fire company coverage should be.

I thought that I would call this to your attention regarding the editorial in the Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-lafd-fire-chief-20140105,0,647337.story#axzz2pZMPckth

It's so good to finally see the City of San Diego begin construction on a new fire station (to replace a temporary station that had been in service for about 8 years). It's even better to hear that San Diego plans to rebuild and enlarge Stations 22,17 and 5 which have needed to be expanded for years. I understand that they also will finally be building a new fire station on Home avenue and in the Skyline area that are desperately needed. So finally the CIty of San Diego is beginning to act on the desperately needed projects that have been on the fire departments and the city's wish list for way too long.