Elm Avenue Apartment Fire
By frhayes | July 3, 2009
On Friday, July 3, 2009 at 1:36 P.M. Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) units Battalion Chief 3, Engine 9, Engine 7, Engine 11, Truck 7, Rescue 9, and Truck 11, responded to a reported Apartment Fire at 3455 ELM AVE, LONG BEACH, CA 90807.
Engine 9, the first arriving unit, arrived within 4 minutes from the time of dispatch and gave an initial report of smoke showing from the 3 story center court yard apartment complex. Engine 9’s crew pulled a hose line into the center court yard on the first floor and advanced into a single unit for extinguishment and for a search of the unit for any residents. Additional crews assisted with extinguishment of the fire, ventilation of smoke from the unit, and salvage and overhaul of the contents in the unit.
A search of the unit revealed that it was “All Clear” of any occupants; an approximately 50-year-old female who lived in the unit was interviewed by LBFD personnel outside of the structure. She indicated that she had been cooking prior to the fire and that hot oil had ignited causing the fire.
This fire was held in check to only the unit involved by the LBFD, however substantial damage did occur causing the female and her approximate 20-year-old son to be displaced. While the Red Cross was being contacted to assist the occupants with their needs, the complex management offered another unit to them in the same complex for their use.
This complex did not have sprinklers, however it did have a “Hose Cabinet” close by the unit, which the pre-connected hose was removed from, but not used by residents. It also did have smoke detectors in the unit; it is unknown if they were working properly, or if they alerted the occupants to the fire.
There were no injuries to occupants or firefighters involved with the incident, which occurred in council district # 7. A total of 9 apparatus and 23 personnel responded to this call, and worked on this incident for approximately one and half hours.
Topics: Incidents | 26 Comments »
LBFD Fireworks Safety Demonstration
By frhayes | July 2, 2009
Topics: Public Safety, Video | 25 Comments »
Multiple Vehicle Accident On The 91 Freeway
By Jackawa Jackson | July 2, 2009
On the morning of July 2nd, at 4:56 am, Long Beach Fire Department units responded to the East bound 91 freeway at Paramount to a report of an injury traffic accident with one vehicle on fire. Upon arrival it was discovered that there were 5 vehicles involved in the accident with fire showing from one. The driver of the vehicle on fire managed to climb from his car prior to it becoming engulfed in flames. The fire was rapidly extinguished and crews began treating the injured. One patient required extrication. It took Truck 11 crewmembers approximately 10 minutes to cut the individual from the wreckage. There were a total of 6 patients involved. (1 critical, 1 moderate, and 4 with minor injuries) Two of the 6 patients elected not to be transported. The entire East bound side of the 91 was shut down for a short period of time. It is unknown what brought about the early morning collision but the cause is currently under investigation. A total of 23 firefighters and 4 ambulance operators responded to this incident.
Topics: Incidents | No Comments »
Vehicle Plunges From The 405 Freeway Shearing A Tree On The Way Down
By Jackawa Jackson | July 1, 2009
At 1:46 pm on July 1, 2009, Long Beach Fire Department dispatched units to the North bound 405 freeway at Lakewood to a report of an overturned vehicle. Once on scene, E17 crew members discovered the vehicle was not overturned but had instead driven off the side of the freeway, plowed through a chain link fence, and come to rest on Kilroy Airport Way below. Before coming to a stop, the Mercedes sedan sheared a tree at the base and collided with a similar Mercedes parked on the street. The female driver was transported to an area hospital with minor to moderate injuries. Fortunately, no other injuries were reported. A total of 15 firefighters and 2 ambulance operators responded to this incident.
Topics: Uncategorized | 20 Comments »
LBFD Cert Graduation – A 7.2 Quake Hits SoCal…..Now What?
By JJohnson | June 28, 2009
On the morning of Saturday, June 27th, the Long Beach Fire Departments CERT program held yet another successful graduation at it’s impressive training facility. For those who don’t know what CERT is, it stands for Community Emergency Response Team. This program is put on by the LBFD at no charge to the public. Since the program began over 13 years ago, the LBFD has graduated over 4400 people.
The scene was played out as if the “The Big One” hit Southern California. The CERT class was utilizing the skills they learned over the 6 week course and were able to help the “injured.” The “injured” consisted of volunteers and past graduates who were given various fake injuries. The class had to handle the disaster situation until the Fire Department arrived.
Our goal is to provide you with valuable information that will benefit you, your family, and your neighborhood. Our commitment to you is to provide you an effective training program in a professional and safe manner. You’ll find that the Long Beach CERT team is comprised of members from all walks of life and experience. Our success is based on utilizing the varying talents from all our members, new and old. Furthermore, we encourage and expect an open environment where we can all share ideas and experiences that will benefit the CERT team.
CERT History
CERT originated in 1985 when the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) recognized a need to educate the community about disaster preparedness, especially as a result of a major earthquake. Living in Southern California, we are constantly faced with the potential of a significant earthquake that could severely affect Southern California.
LAFD began a program that educated individuals about what they could do to protect themselves and their families in the event of a catastrophic disaster. The CERT concept was well received and extremely successful. Eventually word spread. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) then worked with LAFD to create CERT guidelines to make the program available across the nation. CERT is now a 20-hour program that falls under the government’s Citizen Corps umbrella.
Long Beach CERT Program
Our CERT program follows the FEMA guidelines and consists of basic instruction in the following areas:
1. Disaster Preparedness
2. Fire Suppression
3. Basic First Aid
4. Search & Rescue and Cribbing (Leveraging)
5. CERT Organization & Disaster Psychology
6. Terrorism
CERT training is offered each quarter during the year. Each class is taught one day a week on 6 consecutive weeks for 3 hours each night. On the Saturday of the last week, we have a graduation ceremony that includes a disaster drill, which incorporates all the skills learned in the class.
For those of you that would like to be part of this program, you can check out http://longbeach.gov/fire and follow the link to CERT or you can email Firefighter Joshua Johnson who is the LBFD CERT coordinator at Joshua.Johnson@longbeach.gov or call 562-570-2516
Topics: Events, Public Safety | 30 Comments »
