Politics & Government

ASNC to Discuss Reduced Firefighting Resources Monday Night

ASNC member has requested that the board urge councilmembers Reyes and Huizar to fight for restored staffing at the Montecito Heights station.

The implementation of the Los Angeles Fire Department's new deployment plan--which emphasizes responding to medical emergencies over fighting fires--"will impact the safety and survival" of Northeast Los Angeles residents, according to member Roy Payan.

Implemented in July, the plan was proposed as an alternative to fire station "brown outs," through which a rotating roster of fire stations were shut down every day, and their staffs reassigned to cover for firefighters who were out sick.

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Instead of browning out stations, the new deployment plan instead calls for the suspension of 11 fire engines and seven light force companies. According to the LAFD, a light force is a package made up of one fire engine and one ladder truck.

The staffs of those trucks and engines will be reassigned to backfill for other firefighters who are out sick or are attending training, a measure which proponents say will save the city overtime costs. The suspended engines and trucks will remain at the stations, though, and will be placed on "ready reserve."

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Fire Station 47, which is located at the boundary of El Sereno and Montecito Heights, was one station to be directly impacted by the new plan.

Now, instead of housing a fully staffed complement of one ladder truck, two fire engines and one ambulance, fire Station 47 is down to one engine and one ambulance. It also houses a fire engine and an ambulance that are unstaffed and held in ready reserve.

Payan wrote that the loss of the ladder truck would mean a slower response time to house fires at residences that are taller than two stories.

"In consultation with station personnel, it was learned that the aerial ladder equipment used for access and assessments of structures higher than one story is no longer at the station," Payan wrote. "Also, the “jaws of life” equipment
used to rescue car crash victims has also been taken away. This equipment now must be brought from other stations, resulting in much slower response times."

Payan has requested that the council write letters to local councilmembers José Huizar and Ed Reyes, urging them to restore equipment and staff to station 47.

The Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council meets Monday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at Ramona Hall in Highland Park. The full agenda can be downloaded from the media box on the right.


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