Join Los Angeles firefighters and their loved ones for a memorable evening at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber's romantic musical based on Gaston Leroux's gothic novel of life beneath the stage of the Paris Opera House...

Saturday, February 21, 2009
8:00 PM
Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028

Your exclusive Central Front Mezzanine tickets for this charity event at the legendary Pantages Theatre are $125.00 per person.

Proceeds will benefit the Fire Family Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization providing financial assistance to firefighters, their families and charities that support the fire service throughout California.

To purchase your tickets, call (888) 5-FFF-Give today!

Please join us for 'The Music of the Night' in support of a worthy cause.


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

Southern California men and women are being sought to work alongside off-duty firefighters as members of the Boot Brigade, a volunteer group dedicated to helping the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund.

Whether you prefer to help in the office with mail and typing, or decorating prize baskets - or rolling up your sleeves to make chili, we have a place for you!

Members of the Boot Brigade also volunteer with off-duty firefighters to collect donations, secure raffle and auction prizes, food and beverage sponsors and other resources necessary for special fundraisers (such as an upcoming Pancake Breakfast) in support of the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund.

Boot Brigade volunteers are the heart and soul of the Los Angeles Firemen's Relief Association, and include firefighter families, neighbors and friends of the LAFD working together to support a worthy cause.

To learn more about the Boot Brigade, call (800) 244-3439 or visit:

www.lafra.org

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

Please join members of the Los Angeles Fire Department and their families for a Pancake Breakfast that will benefit Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firefighters.

Saturday, January 24, 2009
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Whole Foods Market
19340 Rinaldi Street
Porter Ranch, CA 91326

For a simple $5.00 donation, you can support both the families of LAFD fallen and the California Emergency Mobile Patrol while enjoying the camaraderie of Neighborhood Firefighters.

All are welcome, please tell and bring a friend!

Will you help us by posting an event flyer?

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

On Friday, January 16, 2009 at 1:03 AM, 9 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 4 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 5 Arson Units, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 1 Battalion Chief Officer Command Team and 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 64 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Battalion Chief Ralph Ramirez, responded to a Civilian Fatality Structure Fire at 3856 South Redondo Boulevard in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles.

View Larger Pre-Fire Image (you can also click, grab & zoom the image above)

Firefighters arrived quickly to discover a critically burned woman outside, with reports that two of her family members remained trapped within the well-secured one-story single family home well involved with fire.

Teams of Los Angles Firefighters made swift forcible entry with hand and power tools, and then extended handlines to do battle with the well entrenched fire, as their colleagues scaled the roof of the 1,369 square-foot wood frame home to perform vertical ventilation.

While aggressively attacking the flames and seeking to rescue those in peril, firefighters discovered the lifeless bodies of an adult male and an adult female within the residence. Beyond medical help, they were declared deceased at the scene.

The burned woman, believed to be the spouse and mother of the deceased, sustained 2nd and 3rd degree burns to more than 60% of her body. In critical condition, she was treated by LAFD Paramedics, who transported her to Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center.

Two small pet canines were found uninjured by firefighters within the home, and were later placed in the care of the Department of Animal Services.

Firefighters determined smoke alarms were present in the home, but their functional status at the time of the blaze and their role in alerting occupants, could not be immediately determined.

Though the 62 year-old building was fitted with legally compliant security bars and door screens, the presence of non-compliant double-cylinder deadbolt locks on all but one door, may have been a factor impairing egress.

The structure was not equipped with residential fire sprinklers.

Monetary loss from the fire is estimated at $200,000 ($150,000 structure & $50,000 contents).

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

The cause of this early morning blaze remains the focus of a joint active investigation by Los Angeles Police and Fire Department officials.

LAPD Statement

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Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

On Sunday, January 11, 2009 at 3:54 PM, 5 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 5 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Heavy Rescue, 1 Urban Search and Rescue Unit, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, L.A. County Sheriffs, LAPD and a Metrolink Supervisor, under the direction of Battalion Chief Richard Elder, responded to a Physical Rescue Assignment at 22360 W. Devonshire St. in the Chatsworth area.

Firefighters responded to reports of a person struck by a train in the Chatsworth area. On arrival Firefighters found a passenger train stopped inside Tunnel 27. A request was made for all train traffic to cease for the duration of the incident. Fire companies were directed to each end of the tunnel, for the investigation. The responders were approximately 1/2 mile inside the tunnel when they came upon the injured female. The patient, 32 years old, was in was very critical condition as Paramedics tried to assess her. The injured female succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced at the scene.

The train had approximately 400 passengers on board, but none complained of injuries. The Crisis Response Team was requested by the Incident Commander. Companies remained on scene to assist with the body recovery.

(photos) (photos) (video)

Submitted by d'Lisa Davies
Los Angeles Fire Department

On Saturday, January 10, 2009 at 9:55 AM, 5 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 11 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 3 EMS Battalion Captains, 2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, and 1 CERT Team Coordinator, under the direction of Battalion Chief Michael Little responded to a Traffic Collision at Sepulveda Bl and National Bl in Mar Vista/Del Rey.

Two school buses traveling northbound on the 405 Freeway at National collided, causing minor damage to both buses. Firefighters and Paramedics arrived on scene and quickly assessed the students , finding only minor injuries.

A decision was made, based on safety concerns for the students, to drive both buses off the freeway and take all of the students to a large parking lot at Sepulveda Bl. and National Bl.

Fortunately, of the 126 students riding on both buses, only twenty-five were complaining of minor aches, pains, and bruises. Eleven LAFD Rescue Ambulances transported a total of twenty-five students to local hospitals for evaluation. The cause of the collision is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

(photos) (video)

Submitted by Ron Myers, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

From our friends at the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation...

The community is invited to join with us at El Cariso Park in Sylmar for a free Public Safety Appreciation Barbecue to recognize and honor those who battled the recent Sayre & Marek wildfires.

Friday, January 9, 2009
11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
El Cariso Park
13100 Hubbard Street
Sylmar, CA 91342

This is a free public event, and all are welcome. For more information, please call El Cariso Park at (818)367-7050.

...and we share why firefighters consider El Cariso Park and the nearby hills to be hallowed ground.

(event photos)


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

The men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department warmly welcome you to join civic and community leaders, including Fire Chief Douglas Barry, at the public dedication and grand opening of the LAFD's newest Neighborhood Fire Station.

Sunday, January 18, 2009
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
New Fire Station 78
4041 Whitsett Avenue
Studio City, CA 91604

We are pleased to offer an interactive map with driving directions, and encourage you to consider public transit when visiting this new facility, which is now in service protecting Studio City, Valley Village, Coldwater Canyon, Sherman Oaks and neighboring communities.

Following the dedication ceremony, there will be refreshments and a chance to tour Southern California's newest Fire Station. All members of the community are welcomed to this safety focused family event.

The History of Fire Station 78...

Serving the southeast San Fernando Valley, new Fire Station 78 replaces a cramped and inefficient temporary building on the site of a former neighborhood fire station built during World War II adjacent to the Hollywood Trout Farms, which would later become the popular Sportsmen's Lodge.

The five decade old Fire Station was irreparably damaged and deemed untenable following 15 seconds of violent earth movement during the 1994 Northridge earthquake.



The Federal Emergency Management Agency assisted the LAFD in the $400,000 cost of procuring a modular apparatus shed and trailer-like 'crew quarters', as well as preparing the compact plot of land to support temporary Fire Station 78 - which saw nearly 15 years of service before being decommissioned this past September.

Fire Station 78 covers a geographically and culturally diverse 4.9 square-mile area that includes an active retail, entertainment and office corridor, film and television studios, a major highway, a popular flight path for commercial airliners, large areas of multi-family housing, the Los Angeles River and steep hillsides with winding roads that lead to homes built among the flammable brush of the Santa Monica Mountains.

New Fire Station 78 is one of 19 replacement fire stations funded by the voter approved November 2000 Proposition F.

The new Fire Station sits on one acre of Whitsett Avenue land adjacent to the Studio City Golf Course. The modern, welcoming and energy efficient 15,250 square foot facility can now provide the region with apparatus and personnel pre-deployment during high-hazard conditions, offer routine firefighter and community training and support large-scale incident staging and command post operations.

New Fire Station 78 is a genuine community asset that will serve the life safety needs of the San Fernando Valley for decades to come.

We look forward to seeing you and your family in Studio City for the public grand opening ceremony on Sunday afternoon, January 18!

Please don't forget your camera!

Groundbreaking [October 23, 2006]: (photos)

Grand Opening [January 18, 2009]: (photos) (photos) (photos)

Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department