The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) provides fire prevention and firefighting for the unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, California, as well as 58 cities, including the city of La Habra which is located in Orange County and is the first city outside of Los Angeles County to contract with LACoFD. As of 2013 the department is responsible for just over 4 million residents spread out in over 1.2 million housing units across an area of 2,305 square miles (5,970 km2). According to Firehouse Magazine which keeps statistics on fire departments across the United States, the LACoFD is the 6th busiest department in the US, behind New York City Fire Department, Chicago Fire Department, Houston Fire Department, Los Angeles City Fire Department, and Dallas Fire Department. The department is commanded by Chief Daryl L. Osby with an annual budget of $939 million.
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History
The Los Angeles County Fire Department began in 1920, and was known as the Los Angeles County Forestry Department and Los Angeles County Fire Protection Districts. 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 firefighting in the county. He succeeded in opening 30 Fire Protection Districts, which served, and continue to serve, towns and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Cities could choose to join the Fire Protection District by allocating property tax for this service. Cities formed as contract cities in the post-World War II period normally retained membership in the Fire Protection District. Following the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, property taxes were capped at 1% and the Fire Department charged cities fees for services when annexation occurred. Properties within the district that are not covered under a fee for service arrangement also pay a special fire tax as a result of Proposition E, passed in 1997.
County vehicles assigned to the Los Angeles County Fire Department continue to list as registered owner the "Consolidated Fire Protection District of Los Angeles County" on California Department of Motor Vehicles paperwork.
Emergency operations
The Los Angeles County Fire Department Emergency Operations are commanded by Chief David R. Richardson. The 4 Bureaus that the Chief Deputy oversees contain the bulk of the firefighting personnel and apparatus that the Fire Department provides, as well as the Technical Services Division. The 3 Operations 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 3 Operations Bureaus of LACoFD serve 58 cities and all unincorporated communities with 22 Battalions and 9 Divisions. Each Division is commanded by an assistant chief.
Fire suppression camps
The LACoFD has 8 fire camps with handcrews which are used for both fire prevention and wildland firefighting. In 2013, to help combat jail crowding as well as increase time served by serious criminal offenders, Los Angeles County sent more than 500 inmates to firefighting camps in mountain and foothill areas. Inmates assigned to the camps are nonviolent offenders who have completed physical and security screenings. They are trained by county firefighters to help fight fires and assist with clearing brush and debris. The camps are run in conjunction with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Los Angeles County Probation Department.
Apparatus
The Los Angeles County Fire Department utilizes a wide array of firefighting apparatus, including Engines, Quints, Trucks, Light Forces (Engine + Quint or Truck), Patrols, and Water Tenders. Support apparatus include Rescue Squads, Hazardous Materials Squads, and Urban Search & Rescue Squads. LACoFD apparatus are painted reddish-orange as opposed to LAFD apparatus, which are fire engine red.
Tiller trucks
While many modern fire departments have opted to go with trucks/quints that have rear-mounted ladders, the LACoFD has chosen to stay with tiller trucks because of their enhanced maneuverability in tight areas. The benefit of a quint is that it also has a built in pump and water tank and can thus operate without an engine.
Helicopters
The LA County Fire Department has 9 helicopters available for aerial firefighting. With the exception of Copter 10 which is used primarily for command purposes, all copters are outfitted with water drop tanks for aerial firefighting. The headquarters for the Air Operations Section is located at Barton Heliport, next to Whiteman Airport in Pacoima.
- Three Sikorsky S-70A Firehawks Copter 15, Copter 16 and Copter 19, are fitted with 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L) tanks.
- One Bell 412 Copter 12 is fitted with a 360 US gallons (1,400 L) tank.
- Two Bell 412EP Copter 11 and Copter 14 are outfitted with 360 US gallons (1,400 L) tanks.
- Two Bell 412HP Copter 17 and Copter 18 are outfitted with 360 US gallons (1,400 L) tanks.
- One Bell 412 Copter 10 is used as a command platform and for mapping of a fire scene.
Stations and apparatus
As of February 2015 this is the current breakdown of the LACoFD apparatus and stations. It is collated from multiple sources including FireDepartment.net and Code2High.com as well as PulsePoint activations.
In popular culture
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has been featured in multiple different television series.
- Rescue 8 - The syndicated series of the late 1950s focused on Rescue Squad 8 and starred Jim Davis and Lang Jeffries.
- Emergency! - The NBC series of the 1970s dramatized a department paramedic rescue squad, popularly credited for encouraging the widespread adaptation of the medical service. The exterior fire station scenes for the fictional station 51 in the series were shot at county fire station 127. It is now called the Robert A. Cinader Memorial Fire Station in honor of the television producer who made the station famous. In addition, the fire station in Universal City, where Universal Pictures is located, who produced the series, is designated Station 51.
- Baywatch - The NBC series starring David Hasselhoff focused on the Los Angeles County Lifeguards, a division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles.
- Grand Theft Auto V - Los Santos County Fire Department is based on the LACoFD.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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