Woman Found Dead at Scene of Van Nuys Fire

On Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 2:17 AM, 5 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 2 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 4 Arson Units, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 1 Battalion Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Battalion Chief John Potter responded to a Structure Fire at 14153 West Erwin Street in Van Nuys.

Firefighters arrived quickly to find a two-story garden style apartment with smoke showing from the rear of the ten unit structure. Neighbors were awakened  by sounds of breaking glass and smoke alarms shortly before the arrival of fire crews. Residents tried to enter the involved apartment,  but the smoke and heat was too intense. Firefighters made a rapid entry after reports of a person still inside.

Roof teams cut ventilation holes to release super heated gases, as fire attack teams performed fire suppression and rescue efforts. During the attack on the blaze, Firefighters discovered a 65 year-old elderly woman inside the home. The patient was immediately provided with advanced life support intervention and transported to Sherman Oaks Medical Center. The patient was pronounced dead at the hospital.

A positive identification of the deceased woman, as well as the cause, time, and manner of death, will be determined by the Coroner's Office.

The fire was confined to one unit and rapidly extinguished in just 16 minutes, with 36 Firefighters.  The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

Submitted by Erik Scott
Los Angeles Fire Department

LAFD 'Toy Safety' Widget Arrives For the Holidays

To help identify toys and children's products that have been recalled, the Los Angeles Fire Department and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) are again teaming up this holiday season to provide a 'Toy & Children's Product Recall' widget that is easy to share with friends and family.

This free 'widget' displays the most recent child product and toy recalls from CPSC - and is easily added to your personal website or blog.

Will You Help Us?

During this holiday season, we're asking webmasters and bloggers across our nation to include this widget on their sites. You can share this real-time display on Facebook, MySpace or other on-line site by clicking on the 'Get Widget' button above or visiting:

lafd.org/widgets/toys
Go Ahead, Give It a Try!

...and then learn more about our friends at CPSC, by visiting and bookmarking:

www.cpsc.gov

(video story)

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

Storm Preparedness Meetings For San Fernando Valley Foothill Communities

Your Los Angeles Firefighters have been working closely with the City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department (EMD) to coordinate a trio of town hall meetings for residents living near the recent Sayre, Sesnon, Marek and Station wildfires who remain at risk of rain induced debris flow and flooding.

Los Angeles City and County of Los Angeles agencies will be in attendance to answer questions and advise residents on debris flow preparedness for both life safety and property protection.

November 17, 2009
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Northeast Valley City Hall
7747 Foothill Blvd
Tujunga, CA 91042

November 23, 2009
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Olive Vista Middle School Gymnasium
14600 Tyler Street
Sylmar, CA 91342

December 7, 2009
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Shepherd of the Hills Church
19700 Rinaldi Street
Porter Ranch, CA 91326

A document containing safety tips and maps of areas at increased risk will be provided at the meeting, and is now available on-line.

For additional information, please visit the EMD website at:

emergency.lacity.org

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

12 Point Checklist for Portable Heater Safety

With temperatures downright cold across the nation, many Americans are using portable electric heaters.

While they can be an efficient way to warm a room or supplement central heating, portable electric heaters can also be a fire or electric shock hazard if not used properly.

The Los Angeles Fire Department joins the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) in encouraging the safe use of portable electric heaters:

• Read the manufacturer's instructions and warning labels before using your heater.
• Never leave an operating heater unattended and always unplug the heater when not in use.
• Unplug the heater by pulling the plug straight from the outlet. Inspect the power cord regularly, and never use a heater with a damaged cord.
• Check periodically for a secure plug/outlet fit. If the plug does not fit snugly into the outlet or if the plug becomes very hot, the outlet may need to be replaced. Check with a qualified electrician to replace the outlet.
• Do not use a power strip or extension cord to power your heater. Overheating of the power strip or extension cord could result in a fire.
• Do not plug any other electrical device into the same outlet as your heater. This could result in overheating.
• String the included power cord above any rug or carpeting. Anything you place on top of a cord - including furniture, may damage it.
• Keep combustible materials such as furniture, pillows, bedding, papers, clothes, curtains, paint, gas cans and matches at least three feet from the front of the heater and away from the sides and rear. Do not block the heater's air intake or outlet.
• Unless the heater is designed for outdoor use or in bathrooms, do not use in damp or wet areas. Parts in the heater may be damaged by moisture.
• Place the heater on a level, flat surface. Only use a heater on tabletops when specified by the manufacturer.
• Heaters should be kept away from pets and children and never used in a child's room without adult presence.
• Seniors, the disabled, those living alone or in student housing may be at increased risk due to careless or improper use of heaters. If you know someone in this risk category, please share this safety list and your concerns.

To learn more, listen as FDNY Lieutenant Anthony Mancuso discusses portable electric heater safety:

...and describes how you can receive AHAM's free "Stay Safe!" brochure, by calling (888) 785-SAFE or visiting:

www.heatersafety.org


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

450 Tons of Family Fun - Metrolink's Holiday Toy Express

Metrolink’s Holiday Toy Express has been delighting audiences for thirteen years – providing a free, enjoyable, community-based holiday experience across five Southern California counties.


The Holiday Toy Express, a 450-ton Metrolink train decorated with giant glittering ornaments, animated displays and more than 50,000 twinkling lights, will make four stops in the City of Los Angeles:

Sunday, November 22, 2009

• 6:00PM at the Chatsworth Metrolink Station
• 7:00PM at the Northridge Metrolink Station
• 8:15PM at the Van Nuys Metrolink Station

Friday, December 4, 2009

• 8:30PM at the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station

Arriving with lights aglow and filling the night with toe-tapping tunes, the Holiday Toy Express offers a free live musical stage show at each stop. Following the show, children of all ages have an opportunity to meet Santa and his friends when they alight from the train. Additionally, the Holiday Toy Express supports Southern California Firefighters’ Spark of Love Toy Drive – which collects and distributes toys to needy children.

Audience members are encouraged to bring a new unwrapped toy or sporting good to donate to this worthy cause.

So come enjoy the Holiday Toy Express, meet the men and women of the LAFD and support the Spark of Love Toy Drive, all at a Metrolink Station near you!


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

Driver Who Killed Off-Duty Los Angeles Firefighter Remains At Large

It has been more than two years since our friend and colleague, Los Angeles Firefighter/Paramedic David Pass lost his life in an off-duty motorcycle collision caused by an errant motorist.

Our friends at KABC-TV in Los Angeles have been kind enough to produce and broadcast a brief video that highlights the continuing search for the driver of a Chevrolet Impala that fled the intersection of LaBrea Avenue and Centinela Avenue in Inglewood, California on July 21, 2007 - without so much as stopping to aid the dying father of four.

We wish to thank KABC-TV and the Inglewood Police Department for their diligence in bringing this motorist to justice. If you have information about this incident, we ask you to call investigators at (888) 41-CRIME.

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

The LAFD Asks You: What is a Vet?

The men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department take pride in a credo of service that places the needs of others ahead of their own.

There are times however, when our efforts - no matter how valiant - should be rightfully overshadowed. One such time is on this 11th day of the 11th month. Please join us in taking time to ponder the following question...

WHAT IS A VET?

Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in their eye.

Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: a soul forged in the refinery of adversity.

Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking.

What is a Vet?

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.

She - or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another -or- didn't come back at all.

He is the Quantico drill instructor that has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.

He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.

He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being, a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.

He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.

Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU".

Remember, November 11th is Veterans Day.

One fine man often stated...

"It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."

Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC Veteran

Rest Assured: The Men and Women of the LAFD Will Never Forget!


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

Fire Rips Through 4 Story Hollywood Apartments

On Monday, November 9, 2009 at 6:15 PM, 14 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 7 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 4 EMS Battalion Captains, 4 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, 1 Rehab Air Tender and 1 Emergency Air under the direction of Assistant Chief David Yamahata responded to a Greater Alarm Structure Fire at 1425 Detroit Street in Hollywood.

Lightforce 27 quickly arrived to find fire showing from a unit on the third floor of a four story U-shaped apartment building that was under construction. Additional resources were swiftly requested.

Firefighters made a concentrated effort to quickly extinguish this early evening fire. A Drop Bag operation was rapidly performed to bring hoselines to the third floor while firefighters on the roof cut 'heat-holes' allowing heat, smoke and gases to escape.

This proved to be a fast moving fire that started on the third floor and without delay traveled through the walls of five units. Several other units suffered water damage.

Firefighters not only had to battle the blaze but met additional dangers early on with electrical wires arching and having to navigate with limited visibility over smoke filled floors that hid a large hole from an unfinished trash chute being constructed. Due to firefighters keeping safety in the forefront of their mind and the keen supervision of the Incident Commander, no injuries occurred.

The blaze was fully extinguished by 101 firefighters in one hour and seventeen minutes limiting the damage to $50,000 ($50,000 structure & $0 contents). The cause of the blaze was from 'sweating pipe' on the third floor.

Submitted by Erik Scott
Los Angeles Fire Department

LAFD 'Crew 3' Stands Ready To Answer The Call

Many are surprised to learn that

the LAFD has its own Handcrew.

Here are answers to the three most common questions:

What is LAFD Handcrew 3? It is a Volunteer Type II Handcrew managed by the Los Angeles Fire Department and currently organized as a Wildland Explorer Post. Crew 3 members receive wildland classes, hands-on training and guidance to help successfully gain a career in the Fire Service. Crew 3 is managed by active-duty LAFD Members with extensive wildland fire training and handcrew experience.

When did this begin? On July 14th, 2006, an Explorer Post was started at Los Angeles Fire Station 88 by Captain Derek Vehling and Apparatus Operator Gregory Holly. Crew 3, organized and chartered as a Wildland Explorer Post, is a first of its kind at the LAFD.

What is Crew 3 able to do? They have been activated for numerous Brush Fires, Rain/Mudflow Incidents, assist in Red Flag Pre-deployments and various other projects such as preparation for the annual September 11th Memorial Ceremony at the LAFD's  Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center.

Learn more about LAFD Crew 3 in this video by FDNNTV...

For additional information about LAFD Crew 3 or to contact them, please visit:

www.LAFDCrew3.org

Note: The recently proposed Cadet Program, to be administered in its entirety by the Los Angeles Fire Department, will continue to utilize Department volunteer Post Advisors for leadership and support. The LAFD Cadet Program will replace this other Learning for Life associated LAFD "Explorer Posts" effective January 1, 2010.

Submitted by Erik Scott

Los Angeles Fire Department

Change your Smoke Alarm and CO Detector Batteries!

Most Americans remembered to change their clocks to Standard Time on Sunday, November 1, 2009 to keep from missing an appointment. But few were mindful of placing fresh batteries in their Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detectors, a simple act that can save lives.

You need to change your batteries!

That's the message the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Energizer Batteries and nearly 6,000 fire departments - including the Los Angeles Fire Department sent nationwide with the annual Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery campaign.

The men and women of the LAFD urge you to take the few minutes necessary to change every Smoke Alarm and CO Detector battery in your home. The simple act of changing the batteries in these devices can protect you from relentless killers.

We can't think of an easier task that offers such reward.

FACT: You'd never let a simple convenience like your television remote control go without batteries. Why then ignore the most important devices in your home?

To learn more about Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery, please visit:

www.lafd.org/cyb.htm


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department