LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT ISSUES THUNDERSTORM AND LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms for the Antelope Valley, Catalina Island, Los Angeles County Mountains, Santa Clarita Valley, San Fernando Valley and San Gabriel Valley areas this afternoon and evening. To help prepare residents and businesses for thunderstorms and lightning, the following are some safety tips:

The mission of the Department is to protect lives, the environment, and property by providing prompt, skillful, and cost effective fire protection and life safety services.  Our highly trained emergency personnel use specialized vehicles, tools, equipment and many high tech gadgets to perform these tasks. 

Rarely mentioned are our best friends who also share the same life safety duties and responsibilities, our Department’s search canines! On June 19, the Canine Search Policy (V11, C4, S2) was released to help guide our use of canines in the Urban Search and Rescue Program.  Paired with a handler, canines makes a highly-trained and effective Canine Search Team (CST).  CSTs bring unique abilities to search and rescue due to their “speed of search and keen sense of smell that no other equipment can duplicate,” says Battalion Chief John Boyle of the Technical Operations Section. “They can be used to search for live victims hidden by debris in structures or vehicles. CSTs are “an extremely important part of the search team that can provide rapid search of an area and give Incident Commanders additional confidence that no one was left behind.”

It takes a lot of commitment and hard work to become part of a CST. Candidates are required to submit a letter of interest, attend an orientation, and interview and attend pre-canine training.  Training lasts for several months before being assigned a canine from the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (NDSDF).  Once the canine receives training from NDSDF, the handler attends a two-week class hosted by the Foundation. The handler is then required to attend a minimum of eight training sessions each month hosted by our Department until FEMA certification is achieved, and must be trained as a FEMA Canine Search Specialist. Once certified, the CST must attend a minimum of four additional trainings each month as part of their continuing education.  CSTs are a 24/7 team and assigned to a fire station, where they will work their shift together and end their shift together.

This dedication was the foundation that was laid by our Department’s earliest canine handlers, including Fire Captain Carrie Henger and Fire Captain Bill Monahan. Throughout the years of hard work, our Department has built a wonderful relationship with NDSDF and the team has become recognized as one of the most elite teams that responds to local, national and international emergencies. The recent revision of the Canine Search Policy gives guidance for the proper care, training and response of search canines, and gives a clearer direction for responses and the proper release procedures for canine training. Special thanks goes out to the subject matter experts for contributing to this policy, including Fire Captains Dennis Clark, Pat Long, Billy Monahan and Andrew Olvera.

Since 1969, the J. Michael Criley Paramedic Training Institute has successfully equipped a class of firefighters with extensive emergency medical care services. Our proud legacy of paramedic excellence continues with the newest graduates of the Paramedic Training Institute (PTI).

On July 31 at El Camino College’s Torrance campus, PTI’s Class 230 included graduates Leonard Alvarez, Joshua Berry, Luke Erickson, Craig Gasper, Christopher Hassell, Jack Huysman, Alejandro Magana, Jonathan Matheny, Jason Pike, Michael Toepfer, Sean Torres and Ryan Woodland.  Each has proudly joined the ranks LACoFD’s paramedics following their six-month commitment of hard work and sacrifice to learn all-encompassing medical emergency procedures. Family and friends proudly praised the graduates for their dedication to providing the highest quality care to patients in a pre-hospital setting. Congratulations to our newest graduating class and best wishes as you commence into the next chapter of your careers!

On July 17 and 18, California Task Force Two (CA-TF2) completed a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrative Readiness Evaluation (A.R.E) of its Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Program.  Areas of evaluation included Operations Readiness, Logistics Readiness, and Management Readiness, with CA-TF2 receiving an overall unit rating of “Fully Operational.”

Evaluation categories included:  Complement of Rostered Task Force Members; Annual Training Exercises; Complement of Cache Equipment; Adequacy of Transportation Resources; Cache Mobilization; Cache Management and Inventory Systems; Complement of Cooperative Agreement Staffing and Resources; Complete, Accurate, Timely Cooperative Agreement Reports; Financial and Accounting Processes and Records; and Adequacy of Sponsoring Agency Support Functions.

In attendance from the Department were personnel from the Technical Operations Section, CA-TF2, Financial Management Division, Materials Management Division, Fleet Services and Heavy Equipment Section.  This two-day evaluation of CA-TF2 covered many support functions of the Department, not just the USAR Team itself.  The Peer Evaluation Team recognized the significant effort that the Department has devoted to keeping CA-TF2 a viable resource in the National US&R Response System.

Many members of the Department assisted in preparing for this successful evaluation: from the USAR team members that have been through additional training to be on the team, to the instructors who conduct specialized training; from the behind the scenes personnel that ensure the finances of the Department and team are in order and operating in accordance with FEMA Cooperative Agreement requirements; from the personnel who come in from their regular duty assignment to prepare for such an inspection to those who work at the stations behind them, all of these components come together to allow CA-TF2 to stand ready to respond to disasters locally, nationally and internationally. Congratulations to CA-TF2 on this accomplishment!

LOS ANGELES – August 6, 2014 – To aid cardiac arrest victims quickly, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, The PulsePoint Foundation and The Wireless Foundation are making the PulsePoint app available to individuals in the Los Angeles County area today. Aimed at average citizens and off-duty professionals trained in CPR, the app alerts registered users when a sudden cardiac arrest occurs in a public place in their immediate vicinity. Informed at the same time as emergency responders, users are given detailed instructions, including the location of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) nearby.

More than 13,000 people in Los Angeles County have already downloaded the app, but local promotional campaigns are in development to help raise awareness among the County’s more than 4 million residents.  The leading cause of death in the U.S., cardiac arrests outside hospitals are responsible for more than 1,000 deaths a day and 424,000 a year. Effective CPR administered immediately after a cardiac arrest can potentially double or triple the victim’s chance of survival, but less than half of victims receive that immediate help.

“Widespread deployment of the PulsePoint app can significantly strengthen the Chain of Survival by increasing the chance that lifesaving steps will be taken by CPR-trained individuals prior to the arrival of our personnel,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby. “Mobile technology can help us build a safer, more resilient community, and thanks to the donation by The Wireless Foundation, PulsePoint is available to Los Angeles County at no cost to our organization.”

“This is a perfect example of the ‘connected life’ that provides enormous benefits for all thanks to this very simple concept, which is to alert CPR-trained individuals to a nearby cardiac arrest situation so they may assist until the first responders arrive on the scene,” said Meredith Attwell Baker, President of The Wireless Foundation and President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association. “If you’re CPR-trained, please download the PulsePoint app now to help save a life.”

In addition to the PulsePoint app, the Los Angeles County Fire Department will be launching PulsePoint AED app to help locate and record all public access defibrillators in the county for use during cardiac arrest emergencies. Once validated, these crowdsourced AED will be visible in the PulsePoint app as well as for dispatcher use during emergency calls. The PulsePoint app and PulsePoint AED apps are available on Android and iOS (Apple).

About the PulsePoint Foundation

PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its mission is to make it much easier for citizens who are trained in CPR to use their life-saving skills to do just that…save lives! Through the use of modern, location-aware mobile devices PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens and empower them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. Deployment of the PulsePoint app can significantly strengthen the “chain of survival” by improving bystander response to SCA victims in public settings and increasing the chance that lifesaving steps will be taken prior to the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS) professionals. PulsePoint is built and maintained by volunteer engineers at Workday and distributed by Physio-Control. The original idea came from Richard Price, the former chief of the San Ramon Valley Fire Department, who wanted to bridge the gap between the critical minutes following SCA and the 13 million Americans who are CPR trained, but often don’t know their skills are required. The PulsePoint app is available for iPhone and Android and can be downloaded from the iTunes Store™ and Google Play™. Learn more at www.pulsepoint.org.

On August 6th at 1850pm Baywatch Avalon and fire personal responded to an unknown medical at South Beach in Avalon on Catalina Island. According to witnesses, the patient was having an unknown medial issue while in the water during a water polo game. One water polo player kept the patient from sinking while off-duty LA County Ocean Lifeguard Ignacio Pagliaro rendered aid by swimming to the patient, pulling his face out of the water, then coordinating an effort to swim the patient to shore while maintaining a clear airway.

The group carried the patient to a dry flat area on South Beach’s sidewalk. Off-duty Ocean Lifeguard Pagliaro sent someone for help and then maintained a clear airway until on-duty Ocean Lifeguards, Lifeguard Paramedics, and Fire Dept. personnel from Avalon Fire and LA County Fire station 55 arrived on scene. The patient was treated by Lifeguard Paramedics, LACoFD FS 55 and Avalon Fire personnel and was in stable in condition at the transfer of care to LACoFD Paramedics aboard Copter 15.  LACoFD Air Operations Copter 15 transported the patient to a mainland area hospital. 

According to Lifeguard Paramedic Rescue Boat Captain Brian Lanich, ” The actions of off-duty Ocean Lifeguard Pagliaro and the other water polo players were extremely helpful to EMS personnel and were lifesaving for the patient.”

As we posted earlier this summer on our social media, the water polo court was recently added to Avalon Harbor’s South Beach and has become a popular activity.

*The photo at the top of this story was shared by the Catalina Chamber of Commerce on Facebook

Congratulations to Captain Steve Harper for his recent recognition by the Office of Emergency Management Area E for his outstanding commitment and dedication to the success of Los Angeles County’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. A luncheon was held at the Cerritos Sheraton Hotel, where Harper was honored on Friday, July 25 during the 2014 CERT Community Preparedness Conference.  “It was great to see Captain Harper receive this well-deserved recognition for all that he does with the CERT program,” said Acting Assistant Chief Hisel.  “People remember Steve in the community, and often see him around town and thank him for what they learned in the class. The class evaluations we receive back are always very complimentary to Steve and the other Division III instructors. They do a great job and we appreciate their work.”

County firefighters have been very busy over the last two weeks providing support to fire agencies in Northern California as wildfires continue to cut a trail across the state. Currently, there are 13 wildfires burning with a large portion of these fires resulting from lightning strikes. We have multiple engine, camp crea and patrol strike teams deployed to assist in battling these fires. Our Department has backfilled all fire stations to retain 100 percent staffing in our own backyard here in Los Angeles County.

Here is an overview of some of the fires:

On Monday, July 28, the French Incident began when a brush fire broke out in the Rock Creek Campground near the community of North Fork in Madera County. We received a request for assistance from United States Forest Service-Sequoia National Forest on Friday, August 1. Currently, United States Forest Service is reporting 13,835 acres burned with 85 percent containment.

On Wednesday, July 30, the Day Incident, began when a lightning strike started a brush fire, two miles north of the community of Day in Modoc County. We received a request for assistance from CAL FIRE on Friday, August 1. Currently, CAL FIRE is reporting 13,153 acres burned with 85 percent containment. Five residences and one outbuilding have been destroyed.

On Wednesday, July 30, the Bald Incident began when a brush fire broke out eight miles southeast of the unincorporated community of Fall River Mills in Shasta County. We received a request for assistance from CAL FIRE on Saturday, August 2. Currently, CAL FIRE is reporting 39,926 acres burned with 91 percent containment.

On Wednesday, July 30, the Lodge Complex Incident began when a lightning strike started a brush fire in the Wilderness Lodge area near the community of Laytonville in Mendocino County. We received a request for assistance from CAL FIRE on Sunday, August 3. Currently, CAL FIRE is reporting 4,600 acres burned with 25 percent containment.

On Wednesday, July 30, the Little Deer Incident began when a brush fire broke out in the City of Yreka in Siskiyou County; the fire is located northeast of Grass Lake near Little Deer Mountain and 10 miles south of Tennant. We received a request for assistance from CAL FIRE on Sunday, August 3. Currently, CAL FIRE is reporting 5,503 acres burned with 84 percent containment.

We wish all of our personnel a safe trip home following the conclusion of these incidents.

To aid cardiac arrest victims quickly, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, The PulsePoint Foundation and The Wireless Foundation officially launched the PulsePoint app in Los Angeles County on August 6. Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas joined Fire Chief Daryl Osby, PulsePoint Founder Richard Price and other members of the project team at the Department’s press conference held at a local Home Depot store in the City of Inglewood to let the public know about this new app. Aimed at average citizens and off-duty professionals trained in CPR, the app alerts registered users when a sudden cardiac arrest occurs in a public place in their immediate vicinity. Informed at the same time as emergency responders, users are given detailed instructions, including the location of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) nearby.

Prior to the press conference, more than 13,000 people in Los Angeles County had already downloaded the app, but following the event’s tremendous news coverage, the PulsePoint Foundation reported that 50 people have downloaded the app every hour since. Thanks to generous funding from The Wireless Foundation, local promotional campaigns are in development to help raise awareness among the County’s more than 4 million residents, including advertising campaigns on Facebook and Twitter. 

The leading cause of death in the U.S., cardiac arrests outside hospitals are responsible for more than 1,000 deaths a day and 424,000 a year. Effective CPR administered immediately after a cardiac arrest can potentially double or triple the victim’s chance of survival, but less than half of victims receive that immediate help.

“Widespread deployment of the PulsePoint app can significantly strengthen the Chain of Survival by increasing the chance that lifesaving steps will be taken by CPR-trained individuals prior to the arrival of our personnel,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby. “Mobile technology can help us build safer, more resilient communities throughout Los Angeles County.”

In addition to the PulsePoint app, the Los Angeles County Fire Department will be launching the PulsePoint AED app to help locate and record all public access defibrillators in the county for use during cardiac arrest emergencies. Once validated, these crowdsourced AED will be visible in the PulsePoint app as well as for dispatcher use during emergency calls. The PulsePoint app and PulsePoint AED apps are available on Android and iOS (Apple).

On August 7, the Quality and Productivity Commission (QPC) visited our Department and met with Fire Chief Daryl Osby, Deputy Chief Dawnna Lawrence, Battalion Chiefs Derek Alkonis and Anderson Mackey, and Communications Director Kristina Hajjar. The Department briefed the QPC on the Department’s quality and productivity challenges and opportunities, and how our organization can further work with the QPC to improve our services.

 The commissioners were pleased to hear about how the two Productivity Investment Fund (PIF) Grants equated to the Department’s new “Family and Friends CPR Anytime” initiative. A $200,000 grant from the QPC enabled our Department to purchase 10,000 customized hands-only CPR training kits to be used while training middle and high school students beginning this fall throughout school districts in our local communities. Coupled with the recent implementation of our Department’s PulsePoint app, these programs will save lives by improving survivability rates for sudden cardiac arrest patients. PulsePoint is a free mobile app that alerts registered users who are trained in CPR to provide aid within their immediate vicinity whenever a cardiac arrest occurs in a public place.

A second grant of $155,000 awarded to our Department helped transition our firefighter in-service training program from the classroom-based environment to an online Blackboard-based instructional video system. The new system was cleverly showcased during the meeting when Alkonis thanked the QPC by sharing a video that was created by equipment funded by the grant! High quality training videos, such as “Interior Fire Attack” and “Exterior Water Application,” offer realistic messaging and are video streamed online. Alkonis further explained that the Department’s new training videos help train our firefighters as well as firefighters from 100 countries around the world. This video message thanking the QPC can be streamed online by clicking here.

“I think the commissioners were very pleased to see that the grant money was being put to good use,” said Mackey.  The QPC visit concluded with a tour of LAO’s training facility with the presentation of the rich history of Rescue 5 and a demonstration of the hands-only CPR training kits, facilitated by Fire Inspector Keith Mora of the Public Information team.

On March 16, Anthony C. Marrone was appointed as the new Deputy Chief of the Department’s Leadership and Professional Standards Bureau (LPSB). Marrone previously served as Acting Deputy Chief for LPSB for 10 months prior to his appointment by Fire Chief Daryl Osby.  He has served as a member of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department for 28 years, and looks forward to the many challenges that lie ahead in leading the Department’s newest bureau. Marrone leads many key functions within the organization, including the Risk Management Division, Organizational Development Division, Employee Relations Division, Return to Work Section, Training Services Section, Del Valle Training Section, Professional Performance Section, Recruitment Unit and the Privacy and Access Unit.

As part of his duties, Marrone also represents the Department at the County of Los Angeles Legal Exposure Reduction Committee (LERC) and the County Equity Oversight Panel, and has previously served on the Los Angeles County Emergency Preparedness Commission and the FIRESCOPE Task Force. He has previously served our organization in the capacity of acting assistant fire chief, and has been assigned to various battalions and sections over the last 16 years.  His last field assignment was Battalion 6 in the City of Santa Clarita.  He brings both emergency operations and administrative experience with him to his new position.

In appreciation of devoted service to the citizens of Los Angeles County, the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce and beachsport.org presented the 2014 Lifeguard Medal of Valor Awards on July 31 at the Seaside Lagoon to several of our lifeguards, including Lee Davis, Lars Gustafson, Simon Snyder, Remy Smith, Ryan Anderson, Tim Ryan, Joi Inscore, and Scott Davey. 

“It is an honor on this beautiful evening to recognize the great achievements of our honorees and our lifeguard community,” said Fire Chief Daryl Osby at the event.

2014 Medal of Valor Honorees:  Rescue Boat Captain Lee Davis and Ocean Lifeguard Specialist Lars Gustafson were presented with the 2014 Medal of Valor Award for their extraordinary actions in rescuing a father and his son from their capsized vessel. On October 9, 2013, during a strong winter storm, a faint mayday call was put out over Marine VHF channel 16 in the Marina Del Rey area. The on-duty Baywatch del Rey crew only heard “Mayday….we’re going on the rocks…..marina…” Intuitively, Davis and Gustafson responded Code R to the Marina Del Rey break wall entrance. Described as “masterful boat operating,” Davis positioned the boat in a safe location to drop Gustafson in the water to rescue the two boaters in eight to 10-foot surf kicked up by 45-mile-per-hour winds.

Once on scene, they found the 25-foot powerboat being battered against the rocks of the break wall. With the pounding surf and sea water filling the vessel, it capsized and ejected the boaters into the surf between the rocks and what was left of the boat’s hull. With no time to waste, Gustafson leaped off the Baywatch rescue boat and into extremely dangerous conditions in order to rescue the young boy and his father. The vessel was completely destroyed by the surf and broken up on the break wall, after its propeller became wrapped on one of its own hoop nets and was rendered inoperable. Through the exemplary actions of Davis and Gustafson, these two lives were saved.

2014 Distinguished Service Award Honorees:  In the early afternoon of June 22, 2013, the first full day of summer, a brush fire broke out in the Point Dume area of Malibu. It rapidly progressed as an offshore breeze began to strengthen, causing the residential area to be in the direct path of the expanding fire. Lifeguard Captains Simon Snyder and Remy Smith, and Ocean Lifeguard Specialists Ryan Addison and Tim Ryan donned their brush gear and joined Engine 69 and Squad 88 in gaining a handle on the blaze as it marched closer to homes in the areas. They cleared brush in a collective effort to protect life and property, and did an outstanding job in mitigating the potential danger that the Point Dume Fire created.

2014 Special Recognition Award:  On the morning of June 19, Joi Inscore, wife of Lifeguard Captain Mike Inscore, was taking her usual walk, heading south towards Palos Verdes on Topaz Beach. Approaching the end of her walk she noticed offshore a surfer floating on his back with his full suit and board leashed to his leg. She watched for movement for 20-30 seconds and realized something was wrong. She entered the water a found the surfer had turned a ghostly white. Holding his head out of the water she asked him, “What happened?” He managed to say, “Stroke.” Inscore immediately screamed for help and was assisted by the Palos Verdes Surf Camp until lifeguard units from Torrance Beach and Avenue C responded as well as units from Torrance Fire and Los Angeles County Fire Station 2. She worked to stabilize the surfer’s head while lifeguards evaluated him and also assisted with oxygen therapy. Since the on-duty lifeguard was not due until 11 a.m., this surfer was fortunate that Inscore was nearby and responded so quickly.

2014 Lifetime Achievement Award: Retired Lifeguard Captain Shannon Davey giggled with pride and adornment for her husband, Retired Lifeguard Section Chief Scott Davey, as she joked, “I think he is too young to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.” With 39 years of lifeguarding service to the community, Scott Davey expressed his overwhelm regarding his selection for such an award. A few of many reasons Davey was found to be more than deserving of the Lifetime Achievement Award:  he has rescued over 3,000 people in 39 years of lifeguarding; he saved $1.5 million in annual processing cost for the Department of Boating and Waterways; he established online registration for the Junior Lifeguard Program;  he coordinated the first Spanish for Lifeguards manual and EMS training manual; he created the Junior Lifeguard Cadet Program as well as L.A. County’s first grant from the Department of Boating and Waterways worth $2.2 million annually for the Lifeguard Division. Davey has served with distinction and continues to offer his expertise and knowledge to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The National Weather Service has issued a High Surf Advisory for Los Angeles County Beaches effective Tuesday 8/26 Through Friday 8/29. The forecast is calling for a SE swell  from Hurricane Marie to bring waves to ALL L.A. County beaches in the 6-10ft range with sets for South facing beaches up to 15-18ft at best breaks. Please use caution while visiting the beach and always check in with a Lifeguard before ANY ocean activities.

We would like to remind the public to follow these critical safety messages to have a safe and enjoyable day at the beach!

Safety Messages:

• Always check in with a lifeguard before swimming in the ocean
• Always swim and surf near an open lifeguard station and never swim alone
• Stay off jetties and breakwalls during High Surf Advisories
• Never turn your back to the ocean when walking along the shoreline
• If in doubt of the large surf, do NOT go out!

For more information on Rip Currents click here

Watch News Coverage from ABC 7 on the Swell and Beach Safety: Here

Labor Day Holiday Weekend is here and for many of us that means a trip to an L.A. County Beach. If you plan on going to the beach this weekend, we would like to give you some valuable information so that you can enjoy the beach safely!

We have had high surf from Hurricane Marie this past week causing some Hazardous swimming conditions. This large hurricane swell has moved a lot of sand around causing large in-shore holes and rip currents. The swell is slowly decreasing through the Labor Day Weekend but the chances of rip currents is still very real, especially for South facing beaches.

The L.A. County Fire department would like for you to have a safe and enjoyable day at the beach this weekend so we have a few safety messages to share with you.

We suggest you use the following safety tips on your Labor Day Weekend Beach Day:

• Always swim near an open lifeguard station and never swim alone.

• Check in with the lifeguard before swimming for safest places to swim.

• Never dive into shallow water… Remember… Feet-first every time!

• Use swim fins and a leash whenever bodyboarding.

• Keep a safe distance from piers and rocks, and always obey warning signs.

• Protect yourself from the sun…use sunscreen and wear a hat.

• Respect other beach patrons and remember your beach manners.

• The bicycle path is like a road…always look both ways before crossing!

• If you, or someone in your group gets lost, always find the nearest lifeguard.

• Never mix drinking alcohol with swimming in the ocean!

The best way to avoid a rip current is to check in with the lifeguard for the safest areas to swim!

Read this poster for how to escape a rip current:

If you have any questions visit our FAQ’s page Here

Or follow us on Social Media and you can ask us anything!

We hope you have a safe and enjoyable Labor day Holiday Weekend!!

The National Weather Service has issued a High Surf Advisory for South facing Los Angeles County Beaches effective Friday 9/5 Through Monday 9/8. The forecast is calling for  SSW Ground swell in the 4-7ft range  to build in Friday and be followed up by swell from Hurricane Norbert in the 4-6ft range through monday. Minor costal flooding is possible at the high tides and very strong Rip Currents are possible along all L.A. County beaches. Please use caution while visiting the beach and always check in with a Lifeguard before ANY ocean activities.

We would like to remind the public to follow these critical safety messages to have a safe and enjoyable day at the beach!

Safety Messages:

• Always check in with a lifeguard before swimming in the ocean
• Always swim and surf near an open lifeguard station and never swim alone
• Stay off jetties and breakwalls during High Surf Advisories
• Never turn your back to the ocean when walking along the shoreline
• If in doubt of the large surf, do NOT go out!

For more information on Beach Safety click here

Current forecasted track of Hurricane Norbert:

 

Last Saturday, August 30, marked the fifth anniversary of the line of duty deaths of Fire Captain Ted Hall and Fire Fighter Specialist Arnie Quinones.  On August 29, a ceremony was held at Camp 2 to remember and celebrate the lives and careers of these dedicated members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.  In attendance at the gathering was Fifth District County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

“Ted and Arnie are two brother firefighters we shall never forget. They will be remembered as proud, cherished family men, and courageous firefighters,” he said. “They were steadfast in their quest for excellence, hard work and completion of the mission.  On August 30, 2009, they completed their mission.”

Fire Chief Daryl Osby joined Antonovich at the event, along with Retired Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman and his wife, Cathy. Osby remembered them as colleagues.

“We are here today as members of Ted and Arnie’s Fire Department family to stand alongside the Hall and Quinones families as we all share this milestone moment remembering our friends and colleagues, Ted Hall and Arnie Quinones,” he said. “Many of us here worked with Ted and Arnie. We got to know them, and we all shared a common mission as members of this great Department. Ted and Arnie were extraordinary firefighters. They are, and will remain, true heroes in every sense.”

The Station Fire remains the largest wildland fire in Los Angeles County history, burning over 161,000 acres and taking the lives of these two proud County firefighters at Camp 16 on Mt. Gleason.  To remember their heroism for future generations, many tributes across the County have been created. At the top of Mt. Gleason, two crosses stand in their honor. For travelers along Highway 14, the interchange at Highway 14 and the Angeles Forest Highway is named in their memory. The Angeles Forest Highway from the 14 Freeway to Angeles Crest Highway is also dedicated to them. In the City of Palmdale where Arnie lived, the Arnie Quinones Memorial Park is named in his honor. At Camp Holton, where Camp 16 was relocated, a scenic picture of Mt. Gleason features the letters “H” and “Q” in their honor. And now at Camp 2, personnel and visitors are greeted by a sign that reads, “Lost But Not Forgotten.”

Ted and Arnie will always be remembered as true heroes of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The National Weather Services has forecasted a potential record breaking Heat Wave this weekend in L.A. County starting Friday September 12th through Monday September 15th. Temperatures are forecasted to reach into near 90’F in the coastal areas and even hotter inland, with areas of  inland L.A. County reaching into the triple digits.

For a list of Cooling Centers in L.A. County click Here

The Los Angeles County Fire Department would like to remind the public to be safe in the hot weather!

Heat Safety Messages:

• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated
• Avoid arduous work or athletics in the peak daytime hours when it is the hottest
• Wear plenty of sunscreen when outdoors for extended periods
• Avoid hot, enclosed places, such as cars.
• Never leave children or pets unattended in a car parked in the sun!

Planning to beat the heat at the beach? Visit our Beach Safety Page Here

Steps to Take After Recognizing Heat-Induced Illness

1. Call 911.
2. Get the person out of the sun and into a cool area. An air-conditioned area is ideal, but moving someone into the shade will also help.
3. Apply water to help the person cool off.
4. Apply ice to the neck or armpits, where large blood vessels are close to the surface.
5. Remove any heavy clothing.

Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Barbara Menzelos, and is reprinted from the September 17 edition of The Daily Breeze Opinion.

On July 25 our 15-year-old daughter fell off a cliff in Palos Verdes Estates. She was picnicking with friends when they decided to walk down one of the paths to the beach, worn down by the local surfers. As she was walking, the ground crumbled under her feet and she lost her balance and fell. This paper had a short article about her falling 150 feet (luckily, not accurate) and being rescued by helicopter from the rocks against the water’s edge.

I received the call while cutting up fruit with my cousin for my son’s 10th birthday party. My friend who called could not form the words to give me enough information on why I should go immediately to Malaga Cove, but the hysteria in her voice said it all. My husband, cousin and I rushed to our daughter and found local neighbors and the police at her side. A shirtless man followed us around, and I later learned that he and his boys were the first to reach our daughter and his missing shirt was wrapped around our girl’s bleeding head.

To say that our friends, neighbors and church helped us is an understatement. What I did not foresee was the expert and responsive care she would receive in the next few hours and days. Our daughter fell off a cliff and into the arms of our community’s emergency and health care system.

The paramedics took over for the police, assessing her condition and placing her on a plastic gurney that was lifted into the helicopter hovering above. The wind created by the helicopter’s blades pushed us aside and at this point we could only watch.

My cousin, at my side, was visiting here from Bulgaria. Bulgaria is a country most Americans know little about or can find on a map. Suffice it to say that Bulgarians are proud of their country. That day, for the first time, she regretted that years before she and her husband had not immigrated to this country to raise their family. Not because of the opportunities here, for they have a good life in Bulgaria, but because of the response of our community. The best of being an American showed up for us that day.

The helicopter landed at Harbor UCLA. Our daughter was taken directly to the trauma center where she was immediately surrounded by an expert trauma team. There was an internist, orthopedist, ophthalmologist, neurosurgeon and more specialties than I could comprehend or even spell. After hours in trauma she was sent to pediatric ICU where the nurses’ eyes rarely left her. The attending doctor in ICU explained our daughter’s condition in detail and told us in regards to Harbor UCLA, “We may not be pretty but we’re good.”

Our daughter’s next move was to the pediatric floor where she would spend the next four days. I imagined at this point all this wonderful care would fade. Thinking of my experiences in the prettier private hospitals, I remembered waiting all day to see the doctors only to miss them as I stepped out for coffee. I was once told by a surgeon “everyone is important to somebody,” I couldn’t help but think that he was not a father yet as I responded, “yes, you’re right, everyone is important to somebody.”

Our experience at Harbor UCLA was different. Our indigent community and our uninsured may be getting better care in the South Bay than some of us with the best insurance coverage. Harbor UCLA is misunderstood by many in our wealthier communities. My daughter’s case was led by a pediatrician who was at one time president of the American Academy of Pediatrics; her fellow attending doctor was equally qualified. The students, interns, residents and fellows were impressive doctors and doctors-in-training, enthusiastic about medicine. The attending doctors visited often and took their time with our questions and concerns. They worked as a team, discussing our daughter’s case and making the best choices for her care in a holistic manner. Our daughter, their patient, was an important part of their teaching system. Harbor UCLA teaches medicine with experienced, published research doctors with something that I thought was lost in medicine: compassion.

Thank you to everyone in our community who may feel they pay more than their share of taxes. Thank you to the police and paramedics, and thank you most of all to the doctors at Harbor UCLA who treat the underprivileged among us. We met on July 25 when you all put out your arms to catch our daughter as she fell off a cliff in Palos Verdes Estates. She is home recovering and doing well.

Barbara Menzelos is a resident of Palos Verdes Estates.

Local Girl Scouts from Troop 185 recently collaborated with The City of Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation Department to create Beach Safety Signs that will be posted on several L.A. County Lifeguard Towers in Manhattan Beach. The signs will explain the meanings of the various safety flags displayed by the L.A. County lifeguards.

This project is the result of a collaboration between the City of Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation Department and Girl Scouts Michelle Chambers, Christina Lilligren, Katie Padilla and Natalie Robinson of Manhattan Beach Girl Scout Troop 185. The Girl Scouts discovered the need for and developed the sign as part of their Girl Scout Silver award project. The Silver Award is the highest award that may be earned by a Girl Scout Cadette.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division would like to thank and congratulate the Girl Scouts from Troop 185 for their commitment to public safety and hard work on this project!!