Posts tagged LAFD

LAFD Sends Command Staff to Assist with Oklahoma City Tornado

lafd:

OKLAHOMA CITY - Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Command Staff are sent to assist those affected by the devastating tornado in Oklahoma City.

On May 20, at 3:56 pm EDT, a tornado developed near Newcastle, OK (pop. 7,847) and swiftly moved ENE across Moore (pop. 56,315) before dissipating at 4:36 pm EDT. The tornado was reported to be a mile wide with winds of at least 166 mph creating widespread damage and casualties.

In support of the national response to the events that occurred in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan areas of Moore and Newcastle, two members of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Command Staff have been activated and are being sent to Oklahoma as members of FEMA’s overhead command team. California Task Force One (CA-TF1) has not been activated. However, LAFD Urban Search and Rescue Teams are standing by.

For more than two decades, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has helped organize and support a system of regional Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Task Forces available for mobilization by State and Federal government on an as-needed basis.

Comprised of specially trained and equipped local firefighters and other certified responders, this nationwide network of 28 FEMA USAR Task Forces includes eight in the Golden State, two of which are maintained here in Los Angeles County (CA-TF1: Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) & CA-TF2: Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), similar sounding but separate organizations).

The LAFD along with FEMA urge residents in impacted areas to listen carefully to instructions from their local officials and take the recommended protective measures to safeguard life and property while response efforts continue. Listen to state, local and tribal officials who ask you to remain in shelters, homes or safe places until they give the “all clear” to travel. Roads are very likely to be damaged or blocked by debris, and traffic jams slow emergency managers and first responders as they attempt to reach hard-hit areas.

We encourage individuals in the affected areas following a disaster to monitor local radio, TV stations, the National Weather Service at www.weather.gov or a NOAA weather radio for the latest weather and emergency information.

We strongly remind all that NOW is the time to get prepared for tornadoes and other disasters such as earthquakes that threaten the Los Angeles area.

There are tools and resources available online to help you prepare for, respond to and recover from any type of disaster. Visit www.ready.gov to learn more. The Spanish language site – listo.gov. Those with a Blackberry, Android or Apple device can download the FEMA app to access safety tips, shelter locations, and more.

Member’s of the Los Angeles Fire Department hearts go out to those affected by the devastating tornado and we tip our helmets to all First Responders, particularly those bravely assisting in Oklahoma this week during National Emergency Medical Services Week (May 19-25, 2013).

Members of the Media are welcome to visit Fire Station 88 today from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM to view members of CA-TF1 practice.

Submitted by

Erik Scott, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department

Follow @LAFD and @LAFDtalk on Twitter and find us on Facebook

via Blogger http://bit.ly/165CpDT

2013 Hook and Ladder Enduro

By Bruce Galien, LAFD retired

California City, CA. the site of this year’s Hook and Ladder Enduro - Originated in the early 70’s by the Pasadena Fire Dept, kept alive by members of the LAFD in the late 70’s, and resurrected once again in 2010, now in its fourth year.

This year was no different from past years as the weather is always a variable. We had high winds on and off during the week leading up to the event. Temps were warm, skies from cloudy to clear. The morning of the event saw crystal clear blue sky with not a breath of wind - beautiful to see, unless you were riding in the early classes as the dust was just hanging in the air. The riders were spaced out at one minute intervals to allow the dust to settle between riders. California City has seen drought type conditions the last few years, and the desert is bone dry, with the trails turning to silt under the heavy pressure.  Read more…

_______________________
Click here to view more photos from this event. 

2013 LAFD/LAPD St. Baldrick’s Fundraiser

10 Years of Fighting Childhood Cancer

By Danny Wu, FF, FS 89

On Saturday March 16^th the brave members of the LAFD and LAPD joined together for the 10^th year to produce another successful St. Baldrick’s fundraiser to find a cure for childhood cancer at Fire Station 89. Like this year’s participants, LAFD Co-Organizers Engineer Sean Kennedy and Firefighter Danny Wu, and LAPD organizer Lieutenant Greg Doyle (again along with his cancer survivor son Will) shaved their heads to support kids with a similar “baldness” in exchange for pledges from family and friends. In the process of losing their hair along with other “shavees” they help find a cure for a disease that sadly takes the lives of more U.S. children than any other illness.  Read more…

____________________
Click here to view more photos from this event.