Off-Duty L.A. Firefighter Critically Injured in Blast

From The Los Angeles Times News Blog:

An off-duty Los Angeles city firefighter was among two employees critically injured during an explosion an at alternative-energy company in Sylmar, multiple sources told The Times late Tuesday.

The injured firefighter was identified as Timothy Larson, who was undergoing surgery after suffering major injuries to his arms and legs, according to two sources briefed on the incident.

Larson was undergoing treatment at Holy Cross Medical Center, said the Fire Department and law enforcement sources, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.

The explosion ripped a hole in the roof of the one-story building at 12349 Gladstone Ave. and shattered windows of nearby businesses. Rubble was strewn on the street.

Read more HERE.

Body Found in CA Home 2 Days After Fire

From the AP, via MercuryNews.com:

Authorities say a body has been found in a Pasadena home where a fire broke out earlier this week.

Pasadena police Lt. Rodney Wallace says the body was found Tuesday inside a detached garage, two days after fire broke out at the home on South San Marino Avenue.

Wallace tells the Pasadena Star News that the death is being ruled "suspicious."

Wallace says it's not clear if the person died as a result of the fire or some other cause. The person has not been identified.

Police say the body was found by a private arson investigator who went to the home to conduct a follow-up investigation.

Pasadena fire spokeswoman Lisa Derderian says firefighters searched the burned area twice on Sunday but did not find a body.

Stockton (CA) Lays off 35 Firefighters

A report yesterday from news10.net:

The City of Stockton has laid off 36 firefighters due to budget constraints.

Stockton Fire Department Deputy Chief Paul Willette said 48 positions will be cut Friday at 8 a.m.

Before city and fire union negotiations became deadlocked Thursday night, seven fire fighters opted for early retirement and several others agreed to take demotions over layoffs.

The lay offs will reduce staffing of all engine companies from five to four and drops staffing on trucks from three to two; 19 fewer firefighters will be on duty.

Engine Company 1 will be closed by Friday.

Read more HERE.

CA County Grand Jury Rips Fire Departments Over Medical Calls

From MercuryNews.com:

A Santa Clara County civil grand jury on Wednesday called for a wholesale rethinking of fire departments and emergency responses, arguing that sending firefighters to what are now mostly medical calls is outdated and wasteful.

A report by the watchdog panel found that 70 percent of fire department calls are medical emergencies, and just 4 percent are fire-related. But even so, firefighters respond as if they are heading to a fire, sending a crew of three or more on a truck or engine costing an average of $500,000 -- five times the cost of an ambulance.

Typically only one of the three arriving firefighters has medical training, the report said. That creates a "mismatch between service needed and service provided," with fire departments deploying "personnel who are overtrained to meet the need" -- that is, paramedics also trained as firefighters.

"Taxpayers can no longer afford to fund the status quo," the report said. "Using firefighter-paramedics in firefighting equipment as first responders to all non-police emergencies is unnecessarily costly when less expensive paramedics on ambulances possess the skills needed to address the 96 percent of calls that are not fire-related."

Read the rest HERE.

Report: Contrary to What Alameda (CA) Chief Said, Rescue Swimmers Were Funded

This report from the Contra Costa Times seems to have disappeared from our feed, but here it is, reprinted in full:

By Matthias Gafni Contra Costa Times © Copyright 2011, Bay Area News Group
Contra Costa Times (California)
June 9, 2011

Contrary to what the interim fire chief told the Alameda City Council, his department had funding for water rescue training but apparently never used it, leaving a suicidal Alameda man to fend for himself and die May 30 in the shallow waters off the island, according to an internal Fire Department memo.

"We have been approved funding to recertify instructors and train new swimmers," Division Chief Dale Vogelsang wrote in the March 19, 2009, memo. "However, until this training is completed, per OSHA requirements, no members may be used as rescue swimmers."

A rescue swimmer needs 24 hours a year of training to remain certified.

"We anticipate training to commence within the next 30 to 45 days," Vogelsang wrote.

Fire officials declined to answer questions about why the training apparently never happened during the past two years, pending a citywide review. A call to the Alameda fire union president was not returned.

The day after Raymond Zack died off the Alameda shoreline, Mike D'Orazi, interim fire chief, told the Alameda City Council that budget constraints led to the loss of the department's water rescue ability: "We just did not have the money available to do what we would like to do."

But the 2009 memo indicates money was available -- and, in fact, $20,000 from the current budget is being used to do the training.

Capt. Richard Waggener, identified as the water operations manager in charge of restarting the program two years ago, was on the beach May 30 when Zack waded into the shallow waters off Crown Memorial State Beach. Eight other firefighters, a handful of police and onlookers also watched the mentally ill man stand in the chilly water a few hundred feet offshore and slowly lose his life.

Almost an hour after Zack waded into the water, glancing periodically back to shore, a young woman went in after him and pulled his body to shore, where firefighters attempted to resuscitate him, to no avail. An autopsy is pending.

Police released 911 and dispatch audio, as well as logs and a timeline of the event Wednesday, and the Fire Department released its audio, along with policy documents and its incident report Thursday after a Bay Area News Group public records request.

Although fire audio recordings are bare, the Alameda fire incident commander's report released Thursday describes the decision to stay dry:

"I was told by the Engine 1 captain that his crews were triangulating the subject's position and that he (Waggener) had informed the APD (police) commander that our crews were not able to enter the water," wrote division chief Ricci Zombeck in the June 6 incident report. "I was asked by the APD commander if we would enter the water and I confirmed that we would not."

Zombeck was asked by a television reporter hours after the incident if he would enter the water to save a drowning child.

"Well, if I was off duty I would know what I would do, but I think you're asking me my on-duty response and I would have to stay within our policies and procedures because that's what's required by our department to do," he said at the time.

Their procedures are guided by a 2003 water rescue policy, drafted by the island agency's fire labor management team. Among other restrictions, only certified rescue swimmers could enter the water for a rescue, no matter how deep in the ocean. Each fire engine would have a rescue swimmer on board ready for deployment.

It's unclear why funding for rescue swimmers ceased, but Councilwoman Beverly Johnson said any cuts made were done at the discretion of the Fire Department based on internal decisions.

"I don't know anyone in the city who knew this protocol existed. I know no one on the City Council did," she said.

Johnson said former Chief Dave Kapler -- D'Orazi only started his job a few weeks before Zack's death -- should not have let the swimming certification lapse.

"Alameda is an island city and it just seems like a major shortfall and the chief may not have been paying close enough attention to what was happening," she said.

Sixteen firefighters will soon start swim certification training at a cost of $20,000, the interim chief has said. D'Orazi also made an immediate policy change that would allow a senior firefighter the discretion on how best to respond to a water emergency.

Since the suicide, Alameda police have said they did not enter the water because the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Zack was suicidal and possibly armed or dangerous.

According to the Fire Department incident report, however: "The (Alameda Police Department) commander stated that her crews were not trained to go in the water and that they would not pursue the subject."

A call to the police spokesman Thursday was not returned.

The city's Multi-Hazard Functional Plan for Emergency Operations identifies the Fire Department as the primary surface water rescuer.

The 2009 memo, however, warned, due to the certification lapse: "Under no circumstances shall any member enter the water to initiate a rescue or search."

In the two years since the city's water rescue program ceased, the memo instructed incident commanders to contact the Coast Guard and other surrounding agencies in the event of a water rescue.

Contact Matthias Gafni

at 925-952-5026.A Changing storyFirefighters from the Alameda department did not enter San Francisco Bay to help rescue a man attempting suicide May 30.What happened: Raymond Zack waded for 60 minutes in waist- to neck-deep water off an Alameda beach and later died. Police and firefighters did not enter the water.What was said last week: Budget constraints led to the loss of the Fire Department's ability to train for water rescues.What was revealed: The department had funding since 2009 to "recertify instructors and train new swimmers," according to an internal memo. It was never done.What fire officials said Thursday: No comment.

New Details Emerge About Fire That Killed San Francisco (CA) Firefighters

From The Examiner:

More details emerged Monday about last week’s fatal Diamond Heights blaze, as fire officials said an emergency alert accidentally went off on a nearby fire engine about the same time two firefighters’ personal alarms sounded inside the burning building.

...

While fighting the fire, one or both of Valerio and Perez’s personal alert safety system devices went off. A PASS device sounds an alarm whenever a firefighter has been immobile for a certain period of time.

Around the same time, a firefighter on Engine Company 20 — which had yet to arrive on the scene — had inadvertently hit the emergency button on the engine.

The significance of the inadvertent emergency alert was unclear, although firefighter union President Tom O’Connor said he doubted it added to any confusion.

Read the entire report HERE.

Funeral services for the two fallen firefighters, Anthony Valerio and Vincent Perez, will be held on Friday. Full details on the services, donations, etc. can be found HERE.

Water Rescue Training Questioned After CA Drowning

From KTVU.com:

For a community surrounded by water on all sides, the need for adequate water rescue training for emergency responders has become a top priority in Alameda after a suicidal man drowned Monday in front of police and firefighters.

In years past, the fire department had a comprehensive water rescue team, interim Fire Chief Michael D'Orazi said before the City Council tonight, a program that included shore-based and surface-based tactics.

But after several years of struggling to balance budgets and making sacrifices, D'Orazi said, the program deteriorated to a state that left firefighters unable to respond Monday, when Raymond Zack, 53, waded neck-deep into the frigid water at Crown Memorial Beach and remained there until he lost consciousness.

Fire department paramedics on the shore were not permitted to rescue Zack because they were not certified in water rescue, the department's acting deputy chief of operations Daren Olson said Tuesday.

Read more and see a video HERE. For more on firefighter water training, CLICK HERE.

LAFD Firefighter Burned During Fire Response

From the LAFD News blog:

On Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 12:15 AM, 16 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 8 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 1 Urban Search and Rescue Unit, 1 Rehab Unit, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 1 LAFD Helicopter, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 118 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Assistant Chief Daryl Arbuthnott, responded to a Major Emergency Structure Fire at 9654 Cozycroft Avenue in Chatsworth.

Firefighters arrived quickly to find fire through the roof above a pair of centrally located units within a one-story eight-unit 160' x 300' industrial building.

Forcing entry through rolling steel doors of a wholesale gift firm that occupied the two involved units, scores of firefighters worked in unison to swiftly salvage key business records and computer equipment from the office, as their colleagues nearby held advancing flames at bay.

The offensive attack on the fire, accompanied by strategic vertical ventilation, continued unabated for more than 20 minutes, until the roof became untenable and portions of the structure began to give way.

One firefighter suffered second-degree burns during operations. Read the entire account of the incident HERE.

City of Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department Faces Permanent Cuts

Via a radio report from Southern California Public Radio:

Facing the worst budget deficit in decades, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has proposed deep cuts to the city’s fire department. His plan would permanently close nearly 30 fire trucks and paramedic units, and would shrink the department by more than 300 firefighters. Fire officials who designed the plan promise that it would maintain public safety. Critics predict that it’ll lead to unnecessary deaths.

Fire Captain Jaime Moore said department personnel analyzed more than a million calls for help to craft a plan that would safely scale back the department. “We had to take a very good look at the way we operated," Moore said.

He said while Chief Milage Peaks would prefer to maintain the size of the department, he and other fire leaders found they could get away with some downsizing. "We have some areas where we have task forces where a single engine could handle the number of fire calls they’re getting.”

Listen to the full report and read more HERE.

CA Firefighter Injured in Fall Through Floor at Burning Home

From the Petaluma (CA) Patch:

A firefighter suffered second degree burns after falling through the floor of a burning home Saturday morning.

...

The duplex sustained severe structural damage and the contents were completely destroyed. Fire department officials say materials from a previous marijuana growing operation were found inside, but had no further details Saturday.

The firefighter suffered burns to his hand and was not transported. Read the full story HERE and another story on the incident HERE.

Firefighter Rescues Teens from CA Duplex Fire

From www.dailynews.com:

A fire damaged a duplex in Huntington Beach today, and a firefighter rescued two teens unharmed from a second-story bedroom, authorities said.

The fire was reported at 6:48 a.m. in the 7800 block of Talbert Avenue, Huntington Beach Assistant Fire Marshal Jeff Lopez said.

The fire began in the garage of the two-story duplex, and spread to the interior of the building. The teen-age boys tried to get out through the hallway, but were driven back into the bedroom by the smoke, Lopez said.

Read more about the incident HERE.

New L.A. County (CA) Fire Chief Wants Better Wildfire Protection

From MercuryNews.com:

Los Angeles County's new fire chief wants to better protect the communications towers and historic observatory on Mount Wilson against wildfires.

The Los Angeles Times reports Tuesday that Fire Chief Daryl Osby wants to expand the brush clearance zone around Mount Wilson to 100 feet, or perhaps 300 feet in some areas.

Mount Wilson was seriously threatened by a major 2009 wildfire. Read more HERE.

Firefighters Help Remove Commuters Stuck on L.A. Metro Train

From the L.A. Times:

A Red Line train was stuck in a tunnel Monday morning between the Westlake and Alvarado stations, prompting the evacuation of 200 morning commuters.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was called at 9:08 a.m. to assist in the evacuation, said spokesman Erik Scott.

Read more HERE.

Los Angeles (CA) Apartment Fire Injures 6

From the AP via MercuryNews.com:

A fire in an apartment complex above a South Los Angeles church has injured six people, one critically.

City News Service says the fire was reported shortly before 1:30 a.m. Monday in a stairwell in the second-floor apartment complex above the New Life Christian Church.

The fire was quickly doused. A 54-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition.

Read more HERE.

10 Sailors Injured in Ship Fire Near CA

CNN reports:

Ten sailors aboard a U.S. Navy vessel were injured Wednesday after a jet on the ship caught fire, officials said.

The incident occurred on USS John C. Stennis Wednesday afternoon in waters near southern California, the Navy said.

...

Four of the sailors were flown to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and were in stable condition.

Read more HERE.

Sacramento Metro (CA) Fire Chief Resigns

From KCRA.com:

The Sacramento Metro Fire District Chief Bill Sponable said Friday morning he is resigning in response to strained relations in the fire district.

Read more HERE.

Tsunami Watch: Live stream of waves off the CA coast

Watch multiple views of the waves off the California coast in the wake of the tsunami caused by the huge earthquake in Japan.