Trapped Victim on Willow
By Steve Yamamoto | February 3, 2011
On February 3rd, at approximately 12:50 PM, The Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) was called out to the scene of another injury traffic accident on Willow St. and Chestnut Ave. Engine 7 arrived on scene within three minutes and discovered a midsized sedan that had sustained major damage to the left side of the vehicle after hitting a series of large trees. This left the driver of the smashed vehicle trapped inside and unable to get out. Truck 7 and Task Force 6 (consisting of Urban Search and Rescue 6 (USAR) and Engine 6) was called and utilized for extrication purposes. Firefighters quickly used the “Jaws of Life” to completely remove both mangled doors on the driver’s side within 10 minutes. During that time other crewmembers were inside of the vehicle stabilizing the conscious patient. Firefighters then carefully removed the driver from the wreck and had Rescue 13 immediately transport the patient to a local area hospital. The elderly male driver of the vehicle sustained severe injuries to the left side of his body from the impact.
Thanks to the quick efforts by the LFBD Firefighters the occupant of this vehicle was safely removed and taken to the hospital. The Long Beach Police Department is currently investigating the cause of the accident.
There were a total of seven Fire Department apparatus and 18 personnel operating on scene of this traffic accident that took place in the 7th Council District.
Topics: Incidents, Video | 33 Comments »
Broadway Collision Sends Two to Hospital
By Steve Yamamoto | February 3, 2011
At 12:20 PM this afternoon, units from the Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) were dispatched to the scene of an injury traffic accident involving two vehicles on Broadway and Molino Ave. Engine 2 arrived on scene within minutes and found two vehicles that had collided and sustained major damage leaving the female driver of the pick up truck trapped inside. Realizing the severity of the situation, the Captain on Engine 2 immediately called Truck 7 for extrication purposes and Rescue 10 for assistance. Firefighters quickly rendered aid to both patients while preparing them for transport. The female passenger of the truck in her 70’s was carefully removed from the wreckage and transported to a local area hospital by Rescue 10 with moderate injuries. After about 10 minutes, the Firefighters were able to cut the mangled door off of the truck using the “Jaws of Life” and quickly prepared the driver for transport by Rescue 2. Although the female driver of the truck that was also in her 70’s was conscious during the extrication process, her injuries sustained were still severe. The driver of the other vehicle was examined by Paramedics on scene and released with minor injuries.
As a result of the swift actions taken by the skilled LFBD Firefighters, both occupants of the truck were safely removed and rushed to the hospital. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation by the Long Beach Police Department.
There were a total of 10 Fire Department apparatus and 23 personnel operating on scene of this traffic accident that took place in the 2nd Council District.
Topics: Incidents | 35 Comments »
Violent Recycling Truck Fire Causes Large Explosions
By Steve Yamamoto | February 1, 2011
At approximately 9:40 am on Tuesday, February 1, 2011, units from the Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) responded to a call for a recycling truck that was on fire off of the 2800 block of Ladoga Ave. Engine 18 arrived on scene in less than five minutes and saw that there was moderate to heavy amounts of fire and black smoke coming from the large recycling truck. Luckily the truck was in the middle of the street and there were no other vehicles or bystandards close by the roaring blaze that was radiating intense heat. Firefighters quickly pulled an attack hose line and began knocking the heavy fire down despite the large explosions that were taking place right in front of them. Engine 22 was also called out for backup on another hose line because of the size of the vehicle involved and the large cumbersome fire. Due to the location of the fire, Firefighters had to climb on top of the truck to finally extinguish the blaze from above. Other crewmembers diked off the gutters on the street with sand preventing any contaminated water or foam from reaching the storm drain that would potentially pollute the ocean.
Fortunately the driver had made it out of the cab safely and was uninjured. The Health Department was called out and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation. There were a total of three Fire Department apparatus and nine personnel operating on scene of this fire that took place in the 5th Council District.
Topics: Incidents, Video | 148 Comments »
Vehicle Tragedy Narrowly Averted
By Steve Yamamoto | January 27, 2011
On January the 26th at approximately 12:50 PM, The Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) was called out to the scene of an injury traffic accident on Spring St. just East of the 605 Freeway. When Engine 5 arrived on scene what they discovered was astonishing. One of the involved vehicles had been cut into two separate pieces from the collision with another other vehicle. The front half of the car stayed on the street while the other half was launched down the embankment below. Amazingly, the 27 year old female driver and the 9 year old male passenger only sustained moderate to minor injuries. Firefighters safely removed the female patient from that vehicle and transported her to a local area hospital with the boy. The male driver of the other vehicle, described to be in his early 20’s, was also carefully pulled out by Firefighters from the twisted wreckage and was transported to a local area hospital with moderate to severe injuries.
Thanks to the quick efforts by the LFBD Firefighters, the occupants of these vehicles were safely removed and taken to the hospital. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation by the Long Beach Police Department.
There were a total of five Fire Department apparatus and 10 personnel operating on scene of this traffic accident that took place in the 5th Council District.
Topics: Incidents | 30 Comments »
House Fire on Alamitos Ave
By Matthew Dobberpuhl | January 24, 2011
The Long Beach Fire Department received a call at 7:27am this morning for a house fire at 1447 Alamitos Ave. Engine 10 arrived on scene in three minutes and reported smoke showing at the rear of the structure. Upon investigation they found a fire that appeared to have started in a wall furnace and had extended into the attic. Firefighters from Engine 10 pulled a hose line and initiated fire attack while others from Truck 7 used chainsaws and other hand tools to check for fire extension. Due to their aggressive actions the fire was extinguished in three minutes and contained to the unit of origin. There was a significant amount of heat and smoke damage that made the unit uninhabitable. The Red Cross was called out to assist the family of four that been displaced. It was later reported that there were no functioning smoke detectors in this home. Fortunately the fire was discovered quickly by one of the residents and the family was able to get out in time. Had this fire occurred when everyone was asleep the consequences would have been tragic. Smoke detectors have been proven to save lives. The Long Beach Fire Department has a limited supply of smoke detectors which are available free of charge (2 per household). Please call (562) 570-2519 for more information. A Battalion Chief, Arson Investigator, Public Information Officer and 18 Firefighters responded to this incident that occurred in the 6th Council District.
Topics: Incidents | 24 Comments »
