RescueKujo

Andy,

Anytime, buddy...just let me know...

Date: 10-12-08

Time: 0230

Location: Area of Little Tujunga Canyon/I210/Osbourne Thomas Brothers Map 482J2

Departments: LAFD/LA County FD/Glendale FD/Multiple Strike Teams of LA Area Departments

Description: Major wind driven wildland fire inpinging on structures. at this time (0730 PDT) over 600 acres burned, unknown number of structures.

Links: KABC Live Video

Writer: RescueKujo

1st major Santa Ana wind event forecasted to start tomorrow into Wednesday. Winds at their greatest Sunday into Monday with gusts in some areas 60+ mph. Cal-Fire, US Forest service and California OES prepositioning equipment into SoCal with staging areas in San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Additional tanker aircraft have been brought into the Air Attack bases: Ramona AAB in San Diego County, Hemet-Ryan AAB in Riverside, San Bernardino AAB at the old Norton AFB, and Fox AAB in the Palmdale area of Los Angeles County. Local Government departments adding staffing for additional apparatus to be available.

Never say never, but history shows that SoCal hasn't had back to back years of large campaign type fires. We can only hope that some arsonist doesn't get a wild hair and start one.

Congrats!!! Welcome to sleepless nightville....

Date: 10-11-08

Time: 0524

Location: 6310 N. Sylmar Av, Van Nuys area of Los Angeles

Departments: LAFD, LAPD

Description: On Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 5:24 AM, 9 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 3 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, DWP and the Southern California Gas Company, under the direction of Battalion Chief Richard Markota, responded to a Greater Alarm Structure Fire at 6310 N. Sylmar Av. in the Van Nuys area.

Firefighters were awakened and dispatched to a Major Emergency structure fire in a neighboring district. While exiting the station, Firefighters found a 1 story, pre-33 commercial building, approximately 75 foot x 50 foot, fully involved with fire located behind their station. The responders requested units to fill behind their assignment to the major emergency and asked for a full alarm assignment for their structure fire.

Links: LAFD Blog

Writer: RescueKujo

Date: 10-11-08

Time: 0515 PDT

Location: 9300 N. Eaton Av-Chatsworth Area of Los Angeles

Departments: LAFD, LAPD

Description: On Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 5:18 AM, 20 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 3 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 2 Arson Units, 1 Urban Search and Rescue Unit, 1 Rehab Unit, 2 Hazardous Materials Teams, 2 EMS Battalion Captains, 3 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, the Southern California Gas Company and DWP, under the direction of Assistant Chief Mark Stormes, responded to a Major Emergency Structure Fire at 9300 N. Eton Av. in the Chatsworth area.

Links: LAFD Blog

Writer: RescueKujo

Not for nothing but Pendelton has one of the nicest golf courses I've played on. Next would be Quantico and believe it or not 29Palms has a nice one for being sod on top of desert and the fact that I'm banned for life from that course. (long story). If I also remember right some of the base housing either borders or is not that far from the course.

LOL. Not the first time Pendelton has had some pretty big brush/wild land fires. Wonder if someone "forgot" the tracer/incidiary ban.

ALS,

Nahh, just the brush around these parts is drier than an armadillo's skin in Texas in July. Any hot piece of shrapnel will light it off right now. 3rd fire of over 400 acres in a month on the base... Basically doing line work this morning, not even using fixed wing assets on the fire.

As for the 29 Palms story, I'd love to here it sometime. I got banned from a base during my time in the Air Force....

Date: 10/08/08

Time: Approx 1500

Location: Camp Pendleton Marine Corps ase California, Range 401

Departments: Camp Pendleton FD, Cal Fire, Numerous San Diego County area Fire Departments

Description: Wind driven wildland fire on the base burning 1000 acres by 2200 PDT. Camp Pendleton FD, assisted by Cal Fire and other departments from the area actively fighting this fire as it impinges on the base golf course. No structures threatened at this time. Air assets from Cal Fire, San Diego FD and the County of San Diego worked the fire during the daylight hours. Firefighters monitoring the fire during the night and active firefighting to start again at daybreak.

Links: Fire Blackens acres on Camp Pendleton

Writer: RescueKujo

Joe,

You're very welcome. And don't feel bad, E-269's Crown was only replaced in the last few months. They're using a 1991 Pierce Arrow now. There are a few Crowns at the yard in Pacoima for LACoFD, but if they're there, they're being readied for auction....

Joe, as far as I know, the only Crowns still in service are Brush 11 with the Burbank Fire Department, Truck 261R of the Redlands Fire Department in San Bernardino County, and Hose Tender 2 and Foam Tender 36 of the Orange County Fire Authority. See below:

According to 1 reporter (sorry, I was flipping through many channels...) even if the judge goes middle of the road it'll end up he never leaves prison...

By the look on his face when they were reading the verdict for his co-defendant I don't think he believed he would be found guilty. After all, he's OJ by Gawd!!!

And I would like to thank her honor for pushing the sentancing back as far as she could so it's after my Vegas trip in November...

Did the O-man help you out with Van Nuys??

No, he's in the middle of his Kern County SO Academy. Mike Quinn (M1968Q on FireEngines.net) set up the tours through the respective PIOs.

A few more from the LAFD

And last but not least, some of the Los Angeles Fire Department rigs we photographed...

Some of the LA County FD rigs we photographed...

As previously stated, part of the dealer's tours was the Crash/Fire department at March Air Reserve Base. Here's some of their units...

May God watch over them and keep them safe as they serve their country with the highest honor.

The day before as we were visiting through the LA area, we went to Beverly Hills FD FS 1 and a couple of Culver City stations...

A note about Culver City. As the engineer on Engine 1 was returning the engine to the bay and getting ready to pull out the reserve engine, they received a response. The Duty Chief was nice enough to pull it out and put it back for us...

On Saturday, September 13th, the Fire and Cop Shop had their open house. Besides the sale at the store, plus kitbash displays and a great mexican food buffet, the owners Art and Teri Deyo set up tours with local departments. We visited Rancho Cucamonga FD, Ontario FD, Chino Valley FD, Riverside (City) FD and the Crash/Fire department at March Air Reserve Base. Here's a few of those...

Someone mention tillers/TDAs? The Seagrave rigs are for training. Both Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga are returning to TDAs after years with tower platforms...

Joe, you got it correct. As for responses, in a disaster setting requests come through the region center for more resources. 6 regions in California. Depending on the scale of the incident, or in the case of last fall's wildfires, region sends the requests to State OES. Either center then tries to fill those requests as best they can. For example, at 2 p.m. on the day the 2007 firestorm started, region received I believe requests for 100 strike teams (5 engines plus leader). That's 500 engines. I heard a couple of Incident Commanders were told it'll be 12 hours (drive time from Northern California). But those are the extreme scale. Long story made short, departments can and have sent both an OES engine and their department rig on seperate strike teams.

DK

Gawd, that's a beatiful truck. Thanks for sharing!

In all seriousness, nice photos, especially Ventura County Rescue 54, Anaheim Truck 3, and of course, Riverside City Truck 1! Thanks for sharing.

Slightly off-topic, but I thought I'd ask, what exactly does California OES do?

-Joe DA BUFF

Joe-California OES is our version of the old "Civil Defense" rigs. There are somewhere around 160-175 rigs doled out to departments around the state, which are accepted under certain terms the state lays out. Mainly, anytime the state activates them ( 1989 San Francisco Earthquake, 1994 Northridge Quake, numerous campaign wildfires) the department must staff and respond the rig. The rig cannot be used in frontline service, only in place of a reserve rig or a "break-in" period, such as when the department receives the rig to get acclimated to it.

Jimmy, didn't mean to draw out the little green monster. Mike Quinn and I are already exchanging emails with ideas for next year.

Thanks for the kind words. Due to work today and tomorrow it'll be the weekend before the rest are posted into albums.

Duane

a few more...

About 2 weeks ago, I was fortunate to have some friends from back east come out for a collector's event at a dealer's store. They added extra time to their trips for some photo tours throughout the southland. Here's a few photos from the tours. I'm not done with the Los Angeles County and LAFD photos yet. I'll post when the photos are all their respective albums in my Photobucket account.

Duane

To the Firefighters of the departments named in the 2 actions:

I'm sorry this has been brought upon your companies by these people. If found guilty, they should be put away a long time for violating the public's trust.

You and the firemen who are left need to continue to hold your heads high. You weren't involved, and I believe most people will see that. For the others who have lost their confidence in your company, just show them you're still the same folks they relied upon by doing the same quality job each and every time.

Duane