Top Loader On Fire In The Port Of Long Beach
By Jackawa Jackson | July 23, 2010
At 2:47 PM on the afternoon of July 20, 2010. Long Beach Fire Depart units responded to a report of a vehicle fire at Stevedoring Services located at 700 Pier A Plaza. Upon arrival Engine 24 found a large forklift-like vehicle, known as a top loader fully involved in fire. A top loader weighs roughly 75 tons and has a lifting capacity of 40 tons. The lifting platform was fully extended at the time of the fire and there was a hydraulic fluid leak that left the heavy lifting apparatus dangling precariously atop a stack of 5 cargo shipping containers. Due to the large collapse hazard, and potential for catastrophic failure of the tires of the vehicle, fire crews fought the fire from a safe distance using large hand lines. During the course of the firefight, the 2 front left tires of the top lift exploded due to the intense heat of the fire. The blast was so powerful that it ripped a hole in the side of one of the shipping containers and the shock wave shattered the windshield of Engine 24, which was parked some distance away. Had fire crews been in close proximity to the tires when this occurred, they would have been seriously injured or killed. After the main fire was knocked down, smaller hand lines were brought in for final extinguishment. Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control within a matter of minutes. The driver of the loader, who complained of minor smoke inhalation, was treated by firefighters on scene and released. The cause of this fire is under investigation. A total of 9 firefighters responded to this incident, which occurred in city council district 2.
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Top Loader Fire Video
By stberge | July 23, 2010
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Badge Ceremony July 2010
By Jackawa Jackson | July 21, 2010
On Friday July 16 2010, members of the Long Beach Fire Department were recognized for their recent promotions to various ranks. The ceremony was held at the department headquarters building located at 3205 Lakewood Blvd. Individuals listed below will fill positions vacated by retirements and other promotions. Due to the number of promotions, only a few of the photographs taken are shown on this page. Congratulations to all!
Alan Patalano Fire Chief
Mike Sarjeant Deputy Chief
Mike DuRee Assistant Chief
Chris Albers Assistant Chief
Larry Coots Captain
Eskie Felton Captain
Darrin Ike Captain
James Kovacs Captain
Chris Schuetz Captain
Eddie Sell Captain
Chris Terhune Captain
Ryan “T” Thornton Captain
Kathryn Oura Dispatcher
Kortnee Sagely Dispatcher
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Traffic Snarled By Fire On The 710 Freeway
By Jackawa Jackson | July 19, 2010
This afternoon at 2:04 PM a 30′ crane and trailer, owned by an Edison subcontractor, rolled over and caught on fire on the eastbound 91 transition to the southbound 710. The vehicle rolled onto the guardrail of the off ramp and removed about 30 feet of it as well as one light pole. It continued down the ramp where the fuel tank ruptured and caught fire. Engine 11 arrived on scene to find the vehicle fully engulfed in flames with a small river of burning fuel running down the ramp. Engine 11 crewmembers called for an additional engine to supply water while Engine 13 crewmembers hand carried a supply line from the area of White Ave and Coolidge St. to the freeway. Truck 11, Engine 9 and Rescue 11 assisted in extinguishing the fire, diverting the leaking fuel from the storm drain and evaluated the driver for injuries. , BLS 11 assisted with medical treatment as well. Fortunately the male driver managed to escape the inferno with only minor injuries. He was treated and release on scene. CHP is investigating the cause of the accident. The Ramp will be closed for at least 2-3 hours while Cal Trans evaluates needed repairs. A total of 21 fire department personnel responded to this incident.
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Overturned Vehicle with a Trapped Victim on the 605 Freeway
By Jackawa Jackson | July 13, 2010
On Tuesday July 13th, 2010 at approximately 6:10 AM Long Beach Fire Department units responded to a reported overturned vehicle with a trapped victim over the side of the southbound 605/Spring St. off-ramp. Engine 5 was the first arriving unit and located the mangled vehicle down the embankment of the southbound 605 exit of E. Spring St. on it’s roof resting in the middle of a metal fence. Engine 5 crewmembers discovered a 50-yr old male driver who was trapped inside the wreckage. Light Force 19 crewmembers were quickly utilized to extricate the patient using the “Jaws of Life”. During the extrication another firefighter used a gas powered rotary saw to cut through the tangled portion of metal fence to make room for rescue efforts. Throughout the process the patient was talking to the fire crews. His condition and injuries were listed as moderate as he was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
Luckily there were no other passengers or vehicles were involved. Because of the quick efforts of fire personnel, this patient was removed from the wreckage safely.
This incident occurred in Council District 5 with a total of 7 responding apparatus and 20 personnel operating on scene for approximately an hour. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.
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LBPD Injury Accident With Metro Blue Line
By frhayes | July 7, 2010
On Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at approximately 1:00 PM Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) units responded to a reported Injury Traffic Accident with a trapped victim at Long Beach Blvd. at East 16th Street. Engine 3 was the first arriving unit and found a Metrolink Train that collided with a Long Beach Police Department squad. The train had pushed the vehicle approximately 75 feet with the officer still trapped inside before it was able to completely stop. A full assignment that included The LBFD USAR Team was then dispatched. Truck 7 was quickly utilized to perform vehicle extrication techniques using the “Jaws of Life”, to safely remove the injured officer from the wreckage. Luckily there were no other passengers inside the police unit. Throughout the rescue efforts the officer was talking to the fire crews. His condition and injuries were listed as moderate at the time. He was then quickly transported to a local trauma center based on the mechanism of injury.
During the course of the extrication fire crews also found that an additional ten patients required medical attention due to minor injuries including neck and back pain. At that point Engine 6’s Captain declared the incident as a Multi Casualty Incident (MCI) based on the amount of patients involved. Those ten patients were then placed on backboards with cervical collars for precautionary measures and transported to local hospitals.
Had it not been for the quick efforts of fire personnel, this officer’s condition could have rapidly changed for the worse.
This incident occurred in council district 7 with a total of 16 apparatus and 34 personnel operating on scene for approximately 2 hours. The cause of the collision is currently under investigation.
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4th of July Fireworks Show Presented by the Long Beach Fire Department Memorial Association
By stberge | July 1, 2010
Attending a fireworks show is a great way to ensure a great Independence Day celebration for the entire family and helps ensure safety for all. The 53rd annual 4th of July Show will be held at Long Beach Veterans Memorial Stadium. Live Entertainment will include: Live band “Assisted Living”, LBFD Clowns, bicycle raffle, and fire demonstrations.
Tickets are on sale from 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. daily until July 4th at 5:00 P.M. at Long Beach Fire Station 19, located at 3559 Clark Ave, Long Beach, CA, 90808. Ticket prices are $10 Dollars for Adults and $7 Dollars for Children and Seniors. Gates will open at 4:00pm and close at 9:00pm. Parking $5.00 (no entry without proof of ticket).
According to statistics gathered by the National Fire protection Agency (NFPA) on Independence Day in a typical year, more fires are reported than on any other day of the year, and fireworks account for half of those fires, more than any other cause. In 2004 alone, fireworks caused an estimated 1,500 structure fires and 600 vehicle fires reported to fire departments. These 2,100 fires resulted in an estimated 21 million in direct property damage.
In 2005 hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 10,800 people for fireworks related injuries. Nearly half the people injured by fireworks were under the age of 15, with children between the ages of 10-14 injured nearly three times greater then the general population. Sparklers, fountains, and novelties alone accounted for 26% of the emergency room fireworks injuries.
The slogan used by some fireworks manufacturers “Safe and Sane” proves to me inaccurate when in fact 95% of the fireworks injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms were attributed to fireworks that Federal regulations permit consumers to use. Fireworks and sparklers are designed to explode or throw of showers of hot sparks, with temperatures that may exceed 1200 degrees. The most tragic of statistics gathered by the NFPA indicates that between the years 2000-2004, 7 people per year were killed in fires started by fireworks, and that an additional 7 people were killed directly by fireworks.
In addition to the dangers associated with fireworks the Long Beach Police Department will be actively enforcing laws regarding the possession of all types of fireworks, including sparklers. To ensure a safe and enjoyable 4th of July celebration the Long Beach Fire Department encourages the viewing of fireworks shows conducted by trained professionals. These presentations can be seen at Veterans Stadium conducted by the Long Beach Fire Department Memorial Association, and in neighboring Cities that offer fireworks shows.
For more information on fire hazards and fireworks safety please refer to; NFPA.org
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Tragedy Narrowly Averted Off The Shore Of Long Beach
By Jackawa Jackson | June 27, 2010
Just before 1:00 AM on the morning of June 27, 2010, the Long Beach Fire Department received a call, through the Coast Guard, for a boat that had capsized just outside the breakwater with people in the water. LBFD Rescue Boat 1 and Boat 15 responded and were on scene at the Queens Gate area of the breakwater within minutes. The boat crews found that an 11 foot aluminum fishing boat had in fact capsized, tossing the 2 adult male passengers into the sea. A pilot boat happened to be in the area and managed to pull the two onto their vessel as the fireboats arrived. The patients were then transferred to Boat 15 and were transported to shore for ongoing medical evaluation. The men stated that their boat had been hit by a wave and they had been in the water for 20 minutes. Both men were treated for mild hypothermia by Rescue 1 but declined transportation to the hospital. A Long Beach Police Department boat assisted LBFD by towing the disabled fishing boat to a safe location. A total of 9 firefighters responded to this incident.
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Extrication In North Long Beach
By Jackawa Jackson | June 22, 2010
On the morning of June 22, 2010 just before 11:00, units from the Long Beach Fire Department responded to the corner of Del Amo Blvd and Virginia Avenue to a report of a vehicle into a power pole with one patient trapped. Truck 11 was first to arrive on scene and reported that a small sedan had, in fact, impacted a power pole pinning the 55-year-old male driver in the wreckage. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to cut the man from his vehicle and had him free with in 10 minutes. The driver was transported to a local trauma center in moderate distress. Fortunately the power pole remained upright and there did not appear to be any loss of power to local home or businesses. There were no other vehicles involved in this accident. The cause of the collision is currently under investigation. A total of 11 firefighters responded to this incident.
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Large Debris Pile Fire On The West Side
By Jackawa Jackson | June 21, 2010
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