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Tuesday, October 09, 2012 | 
ECHO PARK - A conflagration in a three-story office building alongside the Hollywood Freeway slowed traffic Tuesday night, as it damaged six businesses and sent one firefighter to the hospital.
The fire was reported on October 9, 2012 at 9:57 PM, bringing the quick response of firefighters to 1625 Palo Alto Street in Echo Park, where they discovered heavy fire to the rear of a tri-level multi-tenant commercial building.
It was a difficult battle.
To assist the firefight and limit the spread of flame, more than a dozen LAFD personnel took to the building's 80' x 100' roof with chainsaws to strategically vent heat and smoke, in an attempt to stem the forward progress of the fire and make the building's interior more tenable for their colleagues below fighting flames and salvaging business records.
Despite oppressive conditions on the third and second floor, a tenacious firefighting offense continued there for nearly one-half hour, until physical compromise of the structure forced a well-coordinated transition to defensive operations with the external application of heavy streams. Though as many as five firefighters were examined for potential injury, only one LAFD member required hospital care for a pair of painful dime-sized burns to his neck. In good condition, he was taken to the hospital by ambulance for first care, where he was treated and released.
No other injuries were reported.
It took the combined effort of 125 Los Angeles Firefighters less than two hours to fully extinguish the flames. The fire was confined to the structure of origin, with the bulk of fire damage limited to the attic, entire third floor and a portion of the second floor. Thanks to comprehensive salvage efforts by LAFD responders, a great number of business records were spared damage from flames or water, as was a good portion of the building's first floor.
The varied damage from fire to the businesses, including a button manufacturer, house of worship, janitorial service, auto loan firm and two printing businesses, is still being tabulated. The cause of this late night blaze remains under active investigation.
Dispatched Units: E220 T20 RA20 E6 RA6 E11 EM11 BC11 E52 T11 E211 E12 E9 T9 E3 T3 E203 RA3 RA803 EM1 E233 T33 E15 DC1 E27 E235 T35 SQ21 BC1 T10 E210 BC5 BC2 RA29 RA46 UR88 E226 T26 E2 AR1 E21 EA1 T94 E294 T64 E264 T29 E229 E17 AR7 AR17 T26 E226 BC11 AR17[ photos ]
Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department
4 comments:
Can the LAFD answer the question why the Deputy Department Commander (DDC)on duty that night did not respond to this major emergency fire?
Please do not refer me to the Incident Commander, as I have been told the Command Staff was present at this incident.
Isnt it protocol for the Deputy Department Commander (Deputy Chief) to respond to major emergency incidents?
Thank you.
Anonymous 6:43,
Thanks for taking the time to write. Given the vernacular, we sense you're on the job and your use of the word protocol is perfect in this case.
Using the same reference material(s) you have at the Fire Station, we could also find no policy, rule or regulation that calls for the physical presence of the Officer assigned as that day's Deputy Department Commander at the scene of a "major emergency" fire (16+ companies assigned, committed and working).
The only intra-agency protocol [emphasis] we are aware of is for the Deputy Department Commander to be *notified* that such an incident is in progress.
If you have any further questions of an inside-baseball nature, please pick up the phone and give our office a call. We're here to help.
Fraternally Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
Brian,
Please review the Rules and Regulations and Manual of Operations. Section 2 of the Rules and Regulations state Bureau Commanders shall "respond to alarms and special calls when dispatched and assume command of operations".
Manual of Operations 2/3-10.48 makes it much more clearer by stating the following: " A Major Emergency exists when more than 15 companies are dispatched. A. Organization: The Incident Command will be comprised of the Deputy Department Commander, the Division Commander, the on-call Chief Officers, and such additional command staff as deemed necessary".
The word "protocol" was inaccurate, as you can see from the Manual of Operations, it is a requirement.
Perhaps you can pass along the above information to the Fire Chief and Command Staff. Everyone from Firefighters to high ranking Chief Officers should be held to the same standards and accountable for their actions or lack thereof.
A firefighter was injured at this incident and many others were put at risk. Where was the top Department Command at this incident?
Thank you
Anonymous 10:59,
Thanks for the follow-up. I read Section 2 while juggling our office phone. My reply was based solely on the Section you cited. I did not scrutinize deeper in our volumes after the almost humorously inapplicable "when dispatched" :)
Clearly there are many things at our 126 year-old Department that can benefit from a refresh or edit (do we still have to stock horseshoes?); yet as you mention, until such happens, the accepted rules and regulations are applicable to us all.
While LAFD Headquarters staff higher than Field Division Commanders are routinely notified (and/or may respond at their discretion) or are actively summoned by other ranking field personnel, it is not current practice for LAFD controllers to demand and coordinate their individual response (e.g. dispatch) following that notification.
I did not speak with the Deputy Department Commander at the time of this incident, and therefore can't tell you why s/he was un/able to be there. There could be a many reasons, but rather than serve as an intermediary that takes this thread (further?) down a rabbit hole of speculation driven by a tailwind of frustration, the best thing I can suggest is to pick up the phone and call the Chief Officer(s) you know to have been involved. We're not sure how the presence of that Chief Officer would have changed the course of events, but they deserve to hear directly from you, whatever you are willing to share.
Fraternally Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
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