| LACoFD |
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| Established | 1920 |
| Staffing | Combination (Career & Paid Call) |
| Strength | 2,763 Uniformed Firefighters & Adminastrative Staff, 132 Full-time, 650 Seasonal lifeguards |
| Stations | 172 |
| Engines | 239 |
| Trucks | 20 |
| Bulldozers | 9 |
| Helicopters | 8 (3 Sikorsky S-70 Firehawks, 4 Bell 412s, 1 Bell 206 Jet Ranger) |
| Fireboats | 2 |
| EMS Level | ALS |
| Fire chief | Daryl L. Osby |
The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including La Habra. It should not be confused with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, which serves the city of Los Angeles. The county fire department has its headquarters in the unincorporated portion of East Los Angeles.
The department is commanded by Chief Daryl L. Osby, who has two subordinate Chief Deputies. In turn, each Chief Deputy heads either the Emergency Operations or Business Operations of the department.
The department was featured in the 1970s NBC television series Emergency!, which dramatized a department paramedic rescue squad; and before that, in the 1958-1960 syndicated series Rescue 8, with Jim Davis (1909–1981) and Lang Jeffries (1930–1987). Rescue 8 featured heart-warming stories about a rescue squad prior to the practice of squad members also being trained as paramedics. David Hasselhoff's Baywatch series, depicting a glamorous version of the department's lifeguards, was filmed mostly on location at Los Angeles County beaches.
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The Los Angeles County Fire Department began in 1923, and was known as the Los Angeles County Forestry Department and Los Angeles County Fire Protection Districts. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors enlisted Stuart J. Flintham to lead the new department, and directed him to establish a program for fire prevention and firefighting in the county. He succeeded in opening 30 Fire Protection Districts, which served, and continue to serve, small towns and the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.
County vehicles assigned to the Los Angeles County Fire Department continue to list as registered owner the "County of Los Angeles Fire Protection Districts" on California Department of Motor Vehicles paperwork.
LACoFD has 190+ Stations which house Engines, Quints, Trucks, Light Forces, Paramedic Squads, ESTs, Water Tenders, Patrols as well as Hazardous Materials Squads and USAR Units. LA County Fire Apparatus are painted reddish-orange as opposed to LA City Fire's being red.
The department does not transport patients in ground ambulances. Rather, county paramedics provide treatment while privately contracted ambulances provide transportation to the hospital. Patients are carried in the department's helicopters, however.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department Emergency Operations are commanded by Chief Deputy John Tripp. The four bureaus that the Chief Deputy oversees contain the bulk of the firefighting and rescue personnel and apparatus that the Fire Department provides. Three of the bureaus consist of the neighborhood fire stations and camps that are geographically based, while the fourth bureau has specialized teams that respond throughout the county. The three Operations Bureaus of LACoFD serve 58 cities with 22 Battalions and Nine Field Divisions. Each Division is commanded by an assistant chief, the only exception being the Lifeguard Division, which is led by the Chief Lifeguard. Each bureau has a regional headquarters:
Additionally, the Technical Services Division is directly under the emergency Operations Bureau.
This division contains the personnel and apparatus for the Urban Search and Rescue team, HAZMAT, Swift Water Rescue, Canine Search Program, and several other programs.
Currently commanded by Deputy Chief Mike Metro, and contains three divisions (including the Air and Wildland Division).
The Air and Wildland Division is commanded by an Assistant Chief, and is composed of two sections: the Fire Suppression Camp Section and the Air Operations Section.[1] This division also oversees the Heavy Equipment and Transportation Units.
The camp section is divided into two units, one containing the five paid/probation camps (Camps II), and the other containing the five inmate camps (Camps I). Camps I is operated in conjunction with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Camps I is composed of Camp 11, Camp 13, Camp 14, Camp 16, and Camp 19. Camps II is composed of Camp 2, Camp 8, Camp 9, Camp 12, and Camp 15. Camp 15 is operated in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Probation Department. The camps provide wildland fire suppression for the county, utilizing bulldozers as well as air support.
The Air Operations Section consists of eight helicopters which provide air support for medical rescues, search and rescue, and wildland fires. The department has three Sikorsky S-70A Fire Hawk helicopters and six Bell 412 helicopters.[2] The headquarters for the Air Operations Section is located at Barton Heliport, next to Whiteman Airport in Pacoima.
Currently commanded by Deputy Chief Mark J. Bennett and contains four divisions (including the Lifeguard Division).
The Los Angeles County Lifeguards are an entity within the Los Angeles County Fire Department, serving the 72 mile coastline that Los Angeles County shares with the Pacific Ocean. Operating with 132 year-round lifeguards and 650 seasonal lifeguards, they staff 178 lifeguard stations and towers. The lifeguards are EMT trained. The Lifeguard Division is led by Chief Lifeguard Michael Frazer.
The lifeguard service has recently begun to utilize a fleet of modified Ford Escape Hybrids, as response vehicles.
Currently commanded by Deputy Chief Michael Bryant, and contains four divisions.
Currently commanded by Deputy Chief Poster, this bureau oversees three divisions, Command and Control, Fleet Services, and Information Management.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department's Business Operations are currently commanded by Chief Deputy (Acting) David R. Richardson Jr., and contain three bureaus: Prevention Services(which also includes the Forestry Division, Health Hazardous Materials Division, and Fire Prevention Division); Administrative Services Bureau (which includes the Human Resources Division, Orgaizational Development Division, Materials Management Division, and the Financial Management Division); Special Services Bureau (which includes the Command and Control Division, Fleet Services Division, Construction and Maintenance Division, and the Information Management Division); and the Employee Relations Division and Professional Performance Section.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has its headquarters complex in the unincorporated portion of East Los Angeles, California.[3]
The department operates its headquarters complex, including the "Klinger Center" in unincorporated area of East Los Angeles.[4][5] The department decided that the center was too small and that the unstable foundation would make the building unsuitable; the center was located on the side of the hill and the shifting foundation was continually damaging the structure. The county proposed a new 175,000 square feet (16,300 m2) headquarters that was estimated to cost $40–45 million. The official groundbreaking ceremony was projected to be at least in the summer of 2006, while the estimated completion date was December 2008. The Klinger Center was scheduled to be demolished after the completion of the new headquarters.[4]
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