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LOCAL NEWS & INFORMATION
UPDATED : February 26, 2010
LOS ANGELES - Northrop Grumman Corporation subsidiary Remotec Inc. and its partner Autonomous Solutions Inc. have delivered a stronger, heavier and more capable robot to the Los Angeles Police Department, allowing officers to perform more missions more safely. The Caterpillar TL1255 Telehandler can be operated remotely from a distance of up to one mile, has a forward reach of more than 40 feet, an extension height of 50 feet, and a lift capacity of 12,000 pounds. Armed with these new capabilities, first responders and special weapons and tactics teams (SWAT) can more effectively respond to emergency situations, including explosive ordnance disposal, hazardous material response (HAZMAT) and port security. The Telehandler is Remotec's first offering from a new heavy-duty line of roboticized construction-grade equipment. For more than 20 years, Remotec has been keeping danger at a distance by providing rugged and dependable hazardous duty robotics for military, explosive aordnance demolition, HAZMAT, law enforcement, SWAT and other first responder applications worldwide. Remotec is based in Clinton, Tenn., and is the largest provider of robots to the first responder market.
UPDATED : February 19, 2010
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - The L.A. County Sheriff's Department unveiled some sophisticated new equipment and port protection measures that will enhance and expand the pre-port entry screening program. The equipment includes a 55-foot ocean vessel, radiation detecting aircraft, and a specially trained canine. The screening vessel is equipped with highly advanced radiation, chemical, and biological detection equipment. This allows deputies to remotely screen entire ships for WMD materials while enroute to the port. The detection equipment transmits real-time data to the LASD HAZMAT Detail Headquarters for further interpretation. The vessel is also equipped with advanced sonar and a Remotely-Operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV) capable of depths up to 3000 feet. The ROV is equipped to remotely search ship hulls for improvised explosive devices and to remove or disarm them. Deployed on the vessel is a canine trained to detect the chemical and biological components that are used to create WMD's. This is the first and only canine in the U.S. with this capability. Additionally, a Eurocopter AS350B2 helicopter has been equipped with an advanced radiation detection pod that allows for remote screening of ships for radioactive ships while flying overhead.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have voted 4-1 to merge county police with the Sheriff's Department. Employees of the Office of Public Safety are responsible for security at more than 450 county facilities, including hospitals and parks. Those employees will now have the opportunity to qualify as sheriff's deputies or work in non-sworn positions within the department. County staffers indicated that the plan is to absorb existing county police staff into the sheriff's department, but they cannot guarantee jobs for all in the merger, planned to take effect June 30, 2010. The Office of Public Safety is budgeted for 579 sworn officers and 140 support professionals, and oversees more than 800 contract employees. But only 76 percent of the positions are filled. The Sheriff's Department plans to budget 694 new positions as part of the merger. The county maintained that any county police officer who becomes a sheriff's deputy would be qualified for the job. Medical and psychological exams and background checks will be done. An 80-hour orientation will help prepare newly sworn deputies. County police are trained on California Peace Officer Standards and Training at the Rio Hondo Community College Police Academy. The ongoing cost of running the security services through the Sheriff's Department are expected to be about $1.5 million higher annually. A one-time cost of about $20 million will also be incurred.
ALTADENA - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved $1.3 million in renovations for the sheriff's Altadena Station. The renovations would add a dispatch center and security fences to the Altadena Drive station, which was built in 1947. For years, officials hoped to build a new sheriff's station to replace it - but the $30 million necessary to build the project has been hard to come by. Currently, 9-1-1 emergency calls from the area are taken by the sheriff's station in Crescenta Valley. Adding a dispatch center in Altadena will allow authorities there to connect directly with the community and could speed up response times. The station will still not be capable of detention services, which will continue to be handled by the Crescenta Valley Station. The renovation money will also go toward putting up security fences and gates for the parking lot - a remedy for what officials call unsafe conditions. Renovations will also be made to the lobby area and public restroom facilities, which will be compliant with the American Disabilities Act.
MANHATTAN BEACH - Four Manhattan Beach police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave for their involvement in the alleged cover-up of a hit-and-run collision last month. The officers are being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The Manhattan Beach Police Department responded to the three-car hit-and-run collision, possibly involving an intoxicated driver, on Sepulveda Boulevard, north of Manhattan Beach Boulevard, around 7:30 p.m Jan. 31. When officers responded, the car that had caused the crash had left the scene and the remaining drivers were treated for minor injuries. One of the remaining drivers later drove to the Arco gas station at Manhattan Beach Boulevard and Dianthus, spotted the car that had caused the crash and called police. When Police Chief Rod Uyeda learned of the collision the next day, he immediately had grave concerns about the decisions made by the police officers involved and ordered an independent investigation by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. Uyeda immediately placed the four officers, whose names have not been released, on paid administrative leave when he learned of the incident. This is the second time over the past year that an officer-involved traffic accident in the city was only made public because of inquiries from the press. Last June, an on-duty police officer lost control of the SUV he was driving on Highland Avenue, hitting at least two parked cars and a tree before the vehicle came to rest on its side.
UPDATED : February 13, 2010
GLENDALE - The City of Glendale Fire Department has started a new Basic Life Support (BLS) Program. This program will provide yet another valuable service to the citizens of Glendale. Congratulations to the 12 Ambulance Operators (AO's) who graduated from GFD's first Ambulance Operator academy on Jan. 26. Two BLS units have gone into service - BLS 22, and BLS 25. Each unit will be staffed with two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's). They will operate in 12-hour shifts, one from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm and the second from 12 noon to 12 midnight. The program arose from the need to save the Fire Department money and to free up paramedics, so they could respond more quickly to serious injury calls. Similar programs in other fire departments have been very successful. As a result of adding 2 new BLS ambulances, RA 22 has been taken out of service and USAR 29 has been moved to Station 22 as USAR 22.
ALHAMBRA - Improvements to the Alhambra Fire Training Facility are complete along with . The many improvements will allow firefighters to hone and practice their skills involving Rescue Systems I and III, trenches, confined space operations, high and low angle rope rescue, and to simulate real-life scenarios at the site. Doors and windows have been outfitted with racking devices to make every evolution different. The windows are barred and doors can be pried open repeatedly via the installation of spring retention devices. Hangers have been welded into the I-beams to allow for simulated flat, commercial, lightweight roofs to be constructed and utilized for shoring and ventilation. Along with these new improvements, inward / outward, resettable hydraulic props will allow engine and truck companies to create real-life collapse scenarios. A new simulated strip-mall type structure can be configured to meet many new training modalities that were not previously possible without acquiring a structure that was being demolished. Possible future improvements being considered at the site include the addition of a classroom for lecture and instruction.
UPDATED : February 3, 2010
LONG BEACH - City Manager Pat West today announced
that Jim McDonnell, a widely respected 28-year police veteran
with a history of innovative leadership and community outreach,
has been selected as the new Chief of Police for the City of
Long Beach. Chief McDonnell, one of the nation’s pre-eminent law
enforcement officials, has served as First Assistant Chief of
the Los Angeles Police Department, second in command of the
third largest police department in the United States. During his
UPDATED : January 15, 2010
WHITTIER - Plans for a police memorial in front of the new police station have been approved by the City Council. The memorial, to be called "The Final Salute," will consist of a bronze statue of a police officer saluting his fallen comrade next to a child holding a flag. It will sit atop of a 6-foot granite hexagon. The statue will be placed on the Penn Street side in between the new station and City Hall, about 20 feet away from the sidewalk. Panels on the hexagon will provide stories of the only two Whittier police officers to have died while on duty. The statue is expected to be completed by January 2011. The new station is expected to open some time next summer.
PASADENA - Colleagues - both human and canine - gathered to bid Pasadena police dog "Art" farewell as he retired from the Police Department. Art, a 10-year-old Czech Shepherd, racked up 593 narcotics finds and discovered $4,653,000 in cash during his career. But after spending nine years serving Pasadena under the direction of his handler Officer Tom Brown, an injury suffered in training 7 years ago forced Art to retire. The Pasadena Police Department maintains two K-9 units. The department's other police dog, "Bono," remains on duty. A new handler has already been selected to replace Brown, and police were in the process of selecting a new dog.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - Los Angeles County Fire
Department Chief P. Michael Freeman, who announced he would
UPDATED : January 12, 2010
SOUTH PASADENA - After eight years in the job, South Pasadena police Chief Dan Watson will retire in July. City officials told Watson in November that they would not renew his employment agreement and would begin recruiting a new chief. Officials encouraged the 58-year-old chief to re-apply for the position, but he instead sent a memo to City Manager John Davidson on Jan. 7 stating his intent to retire on July 2. But residents and former officials are saying he was all but ousted by the current council and are questioning why the popular chief is being allowed to leave. The chief declined to discuss what reasons, if any, were given to him to explain the council's decision not to renew his employment agreement. But Watson did say he was told officials believed the Police Department was in "good shape." Several other residents, including current City Treasurer Victor Robinette, then spoke up during open session at that meeting. At a Dec. 16 meeting, City Clerk Sally Kilby also addressed the council during public comments, urging them to retain the police chief. No residents spoke against him. Watson was hired in January 2002, after spending 28 years in the Los Angeles Police Department. The crime rate has dropped 21 percent in South Pasadena since Watson took over as chief. Several residents expressed frustration that city officials were not explaining their reasons for not renewing Watson's contract.
UPDATED : January 1, 2010
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - As walls of flame from the massive Station blaze closed in on their remote compound, the mission of the crews at Fire Camp 16 suddenly changed from protecting their corner of the Angeles National Forest to saving their own lives. Two Los Angeles County firefighters approached the front line of the blaze in a heroic attempt to stop its march toward the camp high in the San Gabriel Mountains and were killed as the flames engulfed the landscape. Now, four months after Capt. Tedmund Hall and Spc. Arnaldo Quinones became the only fatalities of the fire, new details of the tragedy have emerged, along with unsettling questions of how and why the crews were allowed to stay in harm's way, and whether commanders had failed to grasp in time the danger the camp faced. A U.S. Forest Service e-mail written shortly after the deaths addresses the hazards of the fire and refers to the loss of "two people who stayed too long." The e-mail was obtained by The L.A.Times along with other records that show that the camp crews were not formally assigned to the Station operation and thus might have been excluded from the commanders' broader strategy of defending critical structures in the forest while ensuring the safety of firefighters. The battle against the fire was managed jointly by the county and the U.S. Forest Service. The unusual disconnect between the camp and those leading the attack on the biggest fire in county history is evident in dispatch logs that reveal scant contact between the Mt. Gleason crews and the command center. Experts say that violates long-established firefighting protocols that require all agencies to work together on major blazes in the forest, maintaining good communications with each other and sharing information about fire behavior, weather conditions and escape routes. The Station fire logs contain no calls to evacuate the camp or any effort to send help as the flames raced toward it. And daily government summaries of the firefight do not list the camp, a cluster of converted military buildings, among the many properties that commanders considered imperiled. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) and other lawmakers have called for a congressional investigation. As the Station fire blew out of control, the county remained in charge of Camp 16 and had issued the order to protect it, sending two engine companies to Mt. Gleason the day before it burned to bolster the crews based there, records and interviews show. The fire overran the camp on its fifth day, gutting the buildings that once housed a Nike anti-aircraft missile site.
UPDATED : December 10, 2009
REDONDO BEACH - K9 Valor, who served the Redondo Beach Police Department for more than three years, was put to sleep Dec. 2, after suffering the effects of kidney problems for the past several weeks. RBPD K9 Unit Manager Lt. Todd Heywood said the 5-year-old German shepherd’s illness and deterioration came as a surprise. Valor’s partner and handler, Officer Ken Greenleaf, took Valor to the veterinarian where they found a concern with the blood work. Heywood said four different veterinarians examined Valor and his medical charts, and all reached the same conclusion: It was time to end his suffering. But Greenleaf said the veterinarian who evaluated Valor last week noted in his charts that his kidney values were high ever since the department purchased him. Greenleaf said he will not hold a service of any kind for Valor, and Heywood said such events are few and far between, often only taking place for K9 officers who have died in the line of duty. What to do with Valor’s remains will be left up to Greenleaf and his family, who kept Valor as their pet during off-duty hours. Valor was born “Rojben” in October 2004 in Czechoslovakia, according the RBPD Web site. He became a member of the K9 team on Feb. 6, 2006, when Greenleaf renamed him “Valor.” Though only with the force for a little more than three years, Valor seized more than $100,000 in cash and property, located countless amounts of illegal narcotics and apprehended dozens of criminal suspects. He also was a seven-time champion in the canine skills Trial Championships, won a Narcotics Championship and garnered four gold medals in the World Police and Fire Games in Vancouver. Valor was stabbed twice in the neck by Jimmie Divo Lunceford, a Lawndale man Valor apprehended in July 2007. Valor underwent an hour-long surgery to repair the damage, and Lunceford was sentenced to the maximum five years and eight months in prison. He initially was wanted for making criminal threats to his ex-girlfriend’s two adult daughters. According to the RBPD Web site, Lunceford was trying to get officers to kill him when Valor was deployed, likely saving Lunceford’s life. For those who would like to contribute to the RBPD K9 team, donations may be sent to Lt. Todd Heywood, c/o Redondo Beach Police Department, 401 Diamond St., Redondo Beach, CA 90277.
UPDATED : November 25, 2009
BURBANK - The chief of the Burbank Police Department announced Monday that he is stepping down, a month after the FBI revealed it was investigating several current and former officers at the agency. Tim Stehr, 51, who became chief in 2007, made his announcement in a statement released by the city. He did not give a reason for his resignation. Stehr's retirement comes nearly a week after he was bitterly criticized by the family of a Burbank police sergeant who took his own life and by other officers who blamed the chief and other city officials for the death, saying the sergeant was the victim of retaliation for defending fellow officers. In September, FBI officials confirmed that they are investigating possible civil rights violations alleged by officers at the department. Additionally, at least seven lawsuits have been filed by officers against the department, alleging a pattern of racial discrimination and retaliation, as well as unlawful demotions or firings. Officials said the city had begun its own investigation of the department long before the suits were filed and asked the L.A. County Sheriff's Department to open an independent review of the accusations.
UPDATED : November 4, 2009
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has selected Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Charlie Beck, a 32-year LAPD veteran with strong support from rank-and-file officers and civil rights advocates alike, to serve as the next chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. The choice comes at a time of uncertainty for the department as Beck will be given the task of sustaining Police Chief William J. Bratton’s hard-won gains amid dwindling city budgets. Beck, 56, has risen quickly through the department’s command ranks in recent years and was viewed widely as the favorite to be selected by the mayor. From his success in rehabilitating the LAPD’s Rampart Division, which had been at the center of a corruption scandal, and later as head of the LAPD’s forces in South Los Angeles, he has earned praise from police and civic leaders alike for blending a tough stance on crime with a progressive approach to improving the the LAPD’s relationship with the public. Beck’s appointment must still be ratified by the City Council in a vote expected in the coming weeks, although no serious opposition is expected. With the department budget being battered by the city’s fiscal crisis and morale of rank-and-file officers wavering in the face of a new contract that offers no pay raises, Beck faces a serious challenge of maintaining the progress of the last several years.
BURBANK - The family of a 50-year-old Burbank police officer Tuesday blamed the department's chief and other department and city officials for his suicide. Sgt. Neil Thomas Gunn was found around 11:40 a.m. Thursday near Sunset Canyon and Harvard Road with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and pronounced dead at the scene. Gunn, 50, apparently was listed in an FBI probe into misconduct by the Burbank Police Department. Gunn's widow Tina Gunn told the Los Angeles Times that the department's leaders and union failed to support him against use-of-force allegations, effectively ruining his career. Along with the FBI investigation, two other probes are being conducted into the department. At Tuesday night's City Council meeting, City Councilman David Gordon requested that Police Chief Tim Stehr be placed on administrative leave but none of his four colleagues supported the request. Gunn was a 22-year-veteran and patrol sergeant with the Burbank Police Department. He received numerous commendations for his work, including the Ministerial Officer of the Year in 1992, and two departmental Professional Esteem awards.
UPDATED : October 13, 2009
LOS ANGELES - The construction of a new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting facility at LAX is being implemented and will result in a facility of approximately 28,000 square feet with seven (7) apparatus bays. LAFD has said that a larger facility is needed to accommodate the size, volume, and nature of emergency response equipment at the ARFF, particularly with regard to equipment storage areas. The facility will provide living, admin, and training areas for 14 firefighters assigned to each shift. The new facility will be located on Coast Guard Road and will be situated relative to the mid-points of the outermost runways (Runway 6L/24R on the north and Runway 7R/25L on the south). The $13.5 million LAFD Fire Station 80 project received $10.8 million in federal stimulus funding from the American Recovery & Reinvesting Act.
PASADENA - In September, the city council approved the purchase of a new police helicopter. The Police Department has received federal grant funding to outfit this helicopter with various forms of technology including a FLIR system, an ARS mapping system, and a digital down-linking system. The FLIR system is an infrared tracking system that uses a heat profile to highlight and track involved persons, vehicles, structures or other objects. Not only is this equipment useful in the suppression of crime, it is often used to locate lost hikers, missing persons, and a number of other related instances. The ARS mapping system links live video images over a GIS based aerial mapping system, on a single screen, thereby allowing air crews to mark important images and or landmarks during their investigations. The digital down-linking system allows ground operations to view events as they appear from the helicopter. This equipment is also vitally important during natural disasters including fires, hazmat incidents, building collapses, and major traffic incidents.
WEST COVINA - The Police Department has retired K-9 Quattro.
ALHAMBRA - The Police Department has retired K-9 Eros.
UPDATED : October 9, 2009
CULVER CITY - Jeff Eastman is stepping down as Culver City Fire Department chief in less than three months after 32 years with the department. His father and two uncles were firefighters in Santa Monica and Los Angeles, respectively, and their love for the job rubbed off on a young Eastman. Since starting at the CCFD as a rookie firefighter in 1977, Eastman has performed about every conceivable task, ranging from paramedic duties to working as battalion chief and leading strike teams. Since he began his professional career before starting a family, Eastman’s wife and kids didn’t know a life with a husband and father who came home from work every night. Eastman, who lives in Acton, spends several nights a week at Fire Station 1 and usually goes home on weekends. But spending a lot of time at the station allowed him to build a family within his fire crew. Working and living with his co-workers led to lifelong friendships with some, which resulted in shared family vacations, and watching their children befriend one another. With less than three months remaining before retirement, Eastman says he is looking forward to one more accomplishment as chief: the opening of the brand new Fire Station 3. Eastman said he does not know yet what retirement holds for him, although he envisions some traveling and tourism and perhaps some work involving his expertise in emergency medical services. As he eyes the next phase of his life, Eastman said he would change very little about the past three decades.
UPDATED : October 6, 2009
PASADENA - Police Chief Bernard Melekian, who has led the department since 1996, said Monday he will leave the job and head to Washington, D.C. The move came just after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Melekian's appointment to head the U.S. Department of Justice's COPS program during a speech to the International Association of Police Chiefs in Denver. Melekian said he had been approached about the job several months ago and was offered it last week. "It's always been my driving purpose to make a difference in American law enforcement, and I think I can do it with this job," said Melekian. The COPS - Community Oriented Police Services - program's purpose is to fund community policing projects across the country. Founded by President Bill Clinton, its original task was to put 100,000 new cops on the street. After working for 23 years for the Santa Monica Police Department, where he earned a Medal of Valor, Melekian came to Pasadena at a time when the city was dealing with an exploding gang problem. Melekian also stepped in to run other city departments whenever he was needed. He headed the Fire Department for six months in 1998, and was acting city manager for nine months in 2008. Melekian, an Army and Coast Guard veteran, served in the Gulf War in 1991 in the Army, and did an eight-month stint with the Coast Guard in 2003. Melekian will stay on as chief until Nov. 8, when the city likely will appoint an interim chief. Although city officials would not say who his replacement might be, a likely choice could be Deputy Police Chief Chris Vicino, who acted as interim chief in 2008 when Melekian was working as city manager.
ALHAMBRA - As Alhambra's fire marshal and assistant fire chief, John Kabala served since 1992 as lead arson investigator in this city of more than 30,000 residential units and four main business districts. His career actually began while Kabala, then a student at La Salle High School in Pasadena, heard about a fire cadet program at the Pasadena Fire Department and decided to volunteer. On Friday, after 30 years with the city, Kabala retired. Originally from Chicago, he moved with his family to Pasadena in the late 1970s, eventually attending Cal State Los Angeles, where he majored in criminal justice while continuing to work at the Pasadena Fire Department. It was 1980, three years after the passage of Proposition 13, and cutbacks in public safety made firefighting jobs scarce. So Kabala applied for a job with the Alhambra Police Department and got it. He worked in patrol for a while, then in the detective bureau, where he became an arson and explosives expert in 1988. When a fire marshal position opened up in the city's Fire Department in 1992, Kabala beat out 47 other candidates. It's his experience as a police investigator that brought a needed element to arson probes, which are handled exclusively by the Fire Department. Kabala also has trained nine department members in the art of arson investigation. Kabala estimates he's investigated more than 75 fire deaths over the course of his career. Though he's retiring from public service, Kabala said he'll continue investigating fires for private insurance and investigation firms.
EL SEGUNDO - Considering that the city is facing a $6 million deficit, the El Segundo City Council’s public hearing regarding the preliminary budget was quiet, with just one resident questioning the reasoning behind the high cost of city employee retirements and increase in salaries. The El Segundo Fire Department, which is responsible for 68 percent of the general fund overtime, has agreed to “run-short” of up to two firefighters per shift. Currently, the department employs 19 staff at all times, meaning that if one is out on sick leave, vacation or injury, then a replacement would come in at overtime pay. However, by running two short, the department would have to wait until they were down by three until they called someone in for an overtime shift. El Segundo Fire Chief Kevin Smith, who spoke at the meeting, recognized that the El Segundo Fire Department was highly staffed compared to other surrounding cities. The staff is double that of Manhattan Beach, which has a staff of nine firefighters on duty at one time and more than triple of that of Hermosa Beach ( a similar size city), which has a staff of six at any given time. So why does the El Segundo Fire Department have 19 full-time staff, with an average salary of $150,000? Previous to the new contract, both police and fire had been given a five-year contract from 2003-08, put in place by the late former El Segundo Mayor Mike Gordon. The contract enabled a raise in both base salary and special compensation. Cullen explained that this resulted in a 38-percent growth in salary payout over that period. Smith said running two short will have a minimal impact and added that in terms of structure fires, the city experiences an average of less than one per year.
UPDATED : September 25, 2009
WHITTIER - Drivers riding on the Pomona (60) Freeway probably saw a lot California Highway Patrol Officer David Romero during his 15 years patrolling the beat. But, due to a man who was driving high on methamphetamine, commuters will never see Romero again, only a sign bearing his name. Romero's family and colleagues on Thursday at the Caltrans regional headquarters in Whittier unveiled a memorial sign honoring Romero, which will be placed on part of the 60 freeway named for the fallen officer. The David M. Romero Memorial Highway covers the 60 from the 605 Freeway to Hacienda Boulevard. Romero, who was 47, was killed Sept. 23, 2005 after a speeding motorist slammed into the back of his police motorcycle, causing him to carom across an intersection in Industry and suffer fatal injuries. The 120-member staff of the CHP's Santa Fe Springs office, both sworn and civilian, were on hand, as were representatives of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Whittier Police Department.
UPDATED : September 16, 2009
SOUTH BAY - Recently, members of the Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach city councils have expressed an interest in exploring the possibility of consolidating the fire protection services of both cities into one department. The purpose would be to streamline and improve administrative effectiveness, eliminate duplication of staffing, improve organizational efficiency along with adding financial stability and to standardize fireground operations, while at the same time realizing a financial savings for both cities. Union participation is critical in the complicated merger process. The presidents of both departments' unions expressed support of the concept Tuesday, and early informal talks between both departments' management and unions indicated support from the labor groups. Officials from both sides will begin hashing out the nitty gritty, feasibility and possible cost savings of a merger in coming weeks, and will present a formal plan to the Redondo and Hermosa councils for a final vote likely by the end of the year. Should both cities decide to move forward with a merger, the first stage of the process could begin as soon as January, when Redondo Beach would assume management of Hermosa's training, fire prevention and hazardous materials programs. Other elements of the merger would be to take hold over the next three to four years:
Phase 2: Training and policy manuals, standard operating procedures, and other variances among the departments would consolidate in phase two, deemed the most delicate and labor-intensive portion of the process. Labor groups would also revise their agreements during this phase, which could take up to two years.
Phase 3: Likely to take a year, all personnel would be trained under the combined operations, procedures and programs revised in the previous stage of consolidation.
Phase 4: Formal consolidation would follow, either during or after training in the previous phase.
UPDATED : September 4, 2009
MONTEBELLO — The Montebello Fire Department has been awarded a $7,000 Fireman's Fund Heritage Grant for canine search and rescue training and equipment. With only 180 nationally certified canine teams across the country, Montebello is fortunate to have two. The canine teams, along with the swift water rescue team and the heavy rescue team, can respond to a multitude of rescue needs including confined space, collapse, trench, high angle, vehicle over the side, swift water, landslide and other disasters. To keep their skills sharp, the handlers, along with their four-legged partners, train three to four hours a day twice a week in all types of situations searching through rubble, cement, green waste, wood, asphalt and other materials. Montebello Fire Captain Marc Valentine, who serves as a Southern California group training leader, would also like to use the grant for advanced canine emergency training. According to Valentine, it takes several years of training for the dogs to obtain basic certification. In addition to being available in Los Angeles County, Montebello’s teams also serve on the Orange Country Fire Authority’s Federal Emergency Management Administration’s Urban Search and Rescue task force.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - On the fire lines, a heart can get broken, a house could burn, a wilderness can be decimated, a life may be lost. Those are the possibilities firefighters face each time they go out to battle a blaze. But after a fire is contained, how do they decompress. As it turns out, a firefighter's heart always stays on the job, said Dr. Matthew Budoff, a researcher who is studying how stress affects the cardiac health of firefighters. "Firefighters have a much higher risk of suffering a heart attack, going to, being at, or after a fire," said Budoff, director of cardiac care at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Police Officers and paramedics as well as firefighters have more plaque in their arteries than people who do not do these jobs. The current Station Fire has proven especially stressful, said Los Angeles County Fire Captain Kevin Klar, and time will tell what the effects will be. Described at times as out of control and a monster, the Station Fire has so far consumed more than 150,000 acres of dry wilderness brush since it began on Aug. 26, forced mass evacuations, burned dozens of homes and recreational cabins, and contributed to the death of two Los Angeles County firefighters. Klar oversees the National Firefighters Association Fitness For Life Program in Los Angeles, which encourages his colleagues to stay fit, eat well and take care of their health. Of the 3,500 county firefighters, 10 percent have undergone cardiac research, Klar said. Of those, 1 percent have continued care for cardiac disease. Budoff has been studying about 60 firefighters since 2005 and will continue to monitor their hearts using 3-D images to evaluate the effects of job-related stress. Since there are fewer women firefighters, his study is focused on men. Similar studies have taken place in Atlanta and New York. A second part of his research includes encouraging firefighters to include aged garlic extract in their diets. Garlic has been shown to help reduce plaque and lower blood pressure. The ultimate goal is to find ways to prevent cardiac disease so that less time is spent in the hospital, Budoff said.
UPDATED : September 1, 2009
EL MONTE - As of today, September 1st, Fire Station 167 is closed. The fire station closure is expected to increase emergency response times near the station from under 4 minutes to 5 to 8 minutes and sometimes more in some areas. The fire stations area is north of Ramona Blvd, south of Lower Azusa Rd, and east of Santa Anita Ave. IAFF Local 1014 Executive Board, along with LACoFD Fire Department Management, sat with the management of the City of El Monte for many hours of negotiations and discussions. Local 1014 and the FD went to the table with viable solutions to solve the financial problems of the city in relation to their fire department portion of their budget shortfall. The goal was to protect the current staffing levels for the citizens of El Monte. As late as the last week of August, the department continued to try to rectify the budgetary problem for the City of El Monte fire services. However, the city's management continued to turn a blind eye to the solutions, thus allowing no option except closure of Fire Station 167. Squad 167 will move to Station 166. The Captains and Firefighter Specialists from Station 167 will be departmentaled and then get preferentials. The Firefighter/Paramedics will get departmentaled to FS #166 and then they too will get preferentials. The firefighters at Fire Station 166 will get the same, departmentaled and then get preferentials.
UPDATED : August 29, 2009
LOS ANGELES - Battalion Chief Millage Peaks was selected by Mayor Villaraigosa to replace retiring Los Angeles Fire Department’s chief, Douglas L. Barry. Battalion Chief Millage Peaks is a LAFD veteran of 33 years. If Chief Battalion Millage Peaks is approved by the Los Angeles City Council he will have to endure managing the LAFD with its recent 10 percent budget cuts. Due to the budget cuts LAFD officers have been forced to limit emergency response times and the situation looks even graver as there will be 87 less firefighters daily, particularly in times of emergencies, such as our recent fires. Besides a budget crisis at the peak of fire season, Peaks plans on tackling the issue of discrimination within the LAFD. After Douglas Barry retires his position as LAFD chief on Monday, Peaks will serve as acting chief of the LAFD until he is officially approved by the Los Angeles City Council.
UPDATED : August 24, 2009
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - Coming soon to an L.A. County Fire Station near you is one of 36 new Ford paramedic squads manufactured for service with the Department. They are equipped with an improved emergency lighting package which includes a full L.E.D low-profile light bar, and L.E.D. perimeter lights. Audible warning is provided by a Federal Signal EQ2B siren which electronically reproduces the mechanical siren sound found on LACoFD trucks and engines. An onboard 12-volt air compressor supplies the air horns for additional warning at intersections. On scene lighting is provided by two rear spot/flood combination lights, and an H.I.D. telescoping light. Improvements include a larger overall compartment space and a full “roll top cover” for what was the open center storage area. The rear compartments are outfitted for standard and heavy squad assignments, with the current brackets designed to accommodate the new Sperian “Warrior” 30-minute SCBA’s. Some personnel might be happy to know that all Ford squads come with manual transmissions and a new idle enhancement which picks up RPM whenever auxiliary electrical devices powered by the vehicle are being used.
UPDATED : August 23, 2009
Effective September 1, 2009, the L.A.
County Fire Department will implement a revised Brush Fire
Response Matrix. The new Matrix will:
UPDATED : August 7, 2009
LOS ANGELES - Chief William J. Bratton, credited with polishing the tarnished image of the LAPD and pushing down crime to historic levels, will announce today that he is stepping down to head a private security firm. Bratton' wife, Rikki Kleinbaum, regularly appears on television as a legal consultant. Bratton, 61, was hired in 2002 by then-Mayor James Hahn. His contract was renewed in 2007 by Villaraigosa. Crime has dropped in each of the seven years Bratton headed the LAPD and he was able to get the department out from a federal consent decree that guided its operations as a result of the Rampart Division scandal involving anti-gang units. It was the consent decree that first brought Bratton to the attention of Hahn and other city officials. Bratton was part of the team assembled to monitor the LAPD's compliance when he was approached about taking on the job as chief of police. He was a well-known law enforcement figure nationally because of his jobs as head of the New York Police Department and the Boston Police Department. As police chief, Bratton brought a renewed stability to the LAPD and a new direction. Using his Compstat program, Bratton had the department tracking crime hot spots, looking for trends in crime and responding with strike teams of officers. He also oversaw the largest expansion of the LAPD in its history, where it now has 9,996 officers and is expected to exceed the 10,000 mark with the next graduating class. But Bratton has not been without his clashes with officials. Most notably, he has argued with Councilman Bernard Parks _ who preceded him as chief _ and two other council members with law enforcement background, Dennis Zine and Greig Smith. Zine was a motor officer for more than 30 years and he and Smith work as reserve officers. This year, he became embroiled in another dispute when Smith complained Bratton was ignoring the City Council on a variety of issues, particularly the uniforms to be worn by retired police officers providing security on movie sets. Bratton was among the highest paid of city officials, with a salary of more than $305,000 a year.
UPDATED : August 1, 2009
PASADENA - Battalion Chief Calvin Wells celebrated his 50th birthday by running all 2,156 steps at the Rose Bowl and completed the run in 53 minutes on Friday, July 31, 2009. Pasadena Battalion Chief Calvin Wells has been training with Stadium Fitness for his birthday run for nearly 7 months. David Liston, Fitness Stadium Trainer and owner, Pasadena firefighter-paramedic Daniel Zuniga, Jerry Garcia and Miguel Yepez completed the run with Pasadena Battalion Chief Calvin Wells. His quest began at 6 a.m., under an overcast sky. Wells and a few friends lined up at the bottom of the stadium's Aisle 28. Then the group of five started running, with the goal of completing the task in an hour. They completed it in 53 minutes. Wells said he got the idea in January, when he started training at CATZ, a gym in Pasadena, and working with David Liston, owner of Stadiumfitness.com. Wells started training for Friday's marathon by running up and down just one row of stairs at the stadium. Initially, he'd get winded after completing one aisle. But on Friday, Wells sped through nine aisles before stopping to catch his first breath. During their training runs, people started noticing Wells and Liston running up and down the stairs. Soon, a group formed who wanted to follow in Wells' footsteps. Pasadena fire Chief Dennis Downs said his second-in-command set a great example for others in the department. Though Wells is approaching the age of retirement, he wants to be remembered as someone who sees things through to the end.
UPDATED : July 24, 2009
BURBANK - Fire Chief Tracy Pansini, a 29-year veteran of the Burbank Fire Department, was placed on 60-day medical leave Monday. Battalion Chief Ray Krakowski has been tapped to serve as acting chief. City officials would not comment on the nature of the leave, citing the chief’s right to privacy. Since joining the department in 1979, Pansini has risen through the ranks as firefighter, fire engineer, paramedic firefighter, fire captain, and battalion chief. Before being named chief in Jan. 2006, Pansini served as interim chief and assistant chief. Krakowski, a battalion chief with the department for 15 years, has on numerous occasions served as acting chief.
UPDATED : July 23, 2009
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today approved a plan to reduce the Fire Department's projected $39 million budget deficit by not staffing several fire companies and ambulances on a rotating basis starting Aug. 6. Under the "modified coverage plan" submitted by Fire Chief Douglas Barry and approved by Villaraigosa, the department would cut $39 million from its budget by not staffing one battalion command team, three emergency medical services battalion offices, 15 fire companies and nine ambulances every day for the entire year. Chief Barry said the shutdown of resources -- dubbed "brownouts" -- will occur on a rotating basis at several different fire stations throughout the city. The 87 firefighters and emergency personnel who will be displaced from their normal shifts will staff vacancies on remaining fire companies and ambulances that would previously have been staffed by off-duty employees working overtime. Though Barry stressed the plan would keep all of the city's fire stations open and staffed with at least one fire suppression resource, he warned the cost-cutting measures would increase response times, further increase the workload at affected fire stations, and decrease the number of fire engines available for pre-deployment to areas with high fire danger. Aside from "brownouts," the department also plans to stop recruiting new firefighters and maintain only one academy class instead of the current three. On its Web site, United Firefighters of Los Angeles City claimed the shutdown of fire companies and ambulances "will result in certain and unnecessary deaths in Los Angeles." The union criticized the city's labor negotiators for supposedly offering them a deal "with pay and benefits reductions so severe and unequally targeted that they are insulting." The union added that if the brownouts move forward, they will conduct a public information campaign. The results of a ratification vote on the city's deal with the 22,000- member Coalition of L.A. City Unions are expected to be announced Wednesday afternoon. Under the terms of that deal, city employees will delay their raises for two years and increase their pension contributions to fund the early retirement of as many as 2,400 workers. In exchange, the city offered to give them three cash bonuses and promised not to lay off their workers. It also protected coalition members from furloughs except when the city is experiencing extreme financial hardship.
UPDATED : July 17, 2009
SIERRA MADRE - With more than half of the general fund going to pay for police service, city officials have started shopping around to see if Pasadena, Arcadia or the county can provide it more cheaply. Sierra Madre has had its own Police Department for more than 75 years, but officials recently have raised concerns over the growing financial burden. At their most recent meeting Tuesday, City Council members authorized their staff to send query letters to Pasadena, Arcadia and Los Angeles County about the matter. The letters will also inquire about the potential costs for fire and paramedic services. Sierra Madre's recently adopted budget allocates $3.4 million out of the city's $19.8 million budget toward its Police Department in 2009-10. That would account for 52 percent of the city's $6.4 million in general fund expenditures. By comparison, La Canada Flintridge spent only $2.4 million of its $30 million budget on its contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department last year. That number accounted for 21 percent of the city's $11.4million general fund - although it was for only 12 contracted personnel, as opposed to the more than 20 employees of the Sierra Madre Police Department. La Canada Flintridge's population is roughly 20,000, while Sierra Madre's is about 11,000. Westlake Village, a city of about 8,000, spent $1.8 million of its $23.2 million budget last year for the services of nine sheriff's deputies. Last year, Sierra Madre residents voted to double their utility tax rates from 6 percent to 12 percent by 2010 in order to boost police pay and to fund paramedic services. That tax increase could potentially be rolled back if the city were able to cut spending by contracting out some services.
UPDATED : July 9, 2009
WEST COVINA - The Police Department will soon lose one its most valued officers: Quattro, an 11-year-old Dutch shepherd. After eight years with the department, Quattro - the longest serving police dog in West Covina's history - is retiring on July 17. Quattro, Rocco, and Rambo make up the department's K-9 Unit, which was founded in 1981. Officer Pete Gallardo is Quattro's partner. Quattro is the unit's longest-serving dog. Rambo has served for four years, and Rocco has been on the force for one. Quattro has served in over 500 searches and about 75 arrests. But the canine is starting to show his age. Gallardo said that a doctor recently found cancerous cells in Quattro's bladder. The pooch has also lost some of his stamina in the past year. Instead of bringing in another pooch to make the three-dog unit complete, budget restraints are forcing the department to make do with just two canines. West Covina Cpl. Brad Smith, who trains the canines in the unit, said the cost of another dog and training is $13,500. That doesn't include the cost of paying and training officers. While he understands the city's budget restraints, he is disappointed to see they will be one dog short in the unit.
UPDATED : June 26, 2009
POMONA - The Pomona City Council this week adopted a $176.7 million operating budget. Although the city has a budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year, no one is feeling relieved. Pomona, like other cities, is now facing an uncertain financial future linked to the state and its budget. State legislators could adopt a budget that involves taking or borrowing gas tax dollars, property taxes or redevelopment money meant for the use of cities. This week, council members were able to clear a budgetary hurdle with the help of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. City staff had proposed taking a fire engine at the city's downtown fire station out of service for nine months to save the city $1.4 million. However, fire service cuts won't be necessary due to a change in the payment schedule for the proposed sale of a city fire training center located on the grounds of Fire Station 187 on Temple Avenue - to Los Angeles County. The county had agreed to purchase the facility for $4.7 million and pay it off over a five-year period. Now the county agreed to pay the city for the facility within a two-year period. Under that payment schedule, the city will receive enough money to avert fire service reductions, plus the $950,000 that it was expecting this year for the sale and $359,000 that will be used to make budget adjustments during the year or to reverse some cuts. As part of budget discussions, Councilwoman Paula Lantz pressed to have two community service officer positions in the Police Department's crime prevention unit reinstated. Councilwoman Cristina Carrizosa proposed using money from the Police Department's overtime budget to cover the more than $111,400 it would cost to fund the two community services officers. Carrizosa went on to say the police overtime budget could be reduced by more than $800,000, saying a large part of the city's funds go to public safety. Lantz said she couldn't support additional cuts to the department's overtime budget. The Police Department reduced overtime costs to $2.9 million during the current fiscal year, which is about $1 million less than was spent in the 2007-08 fiscal year. The council agreed to tap the overtime fund for $111,000 to fund the two community service officers for crime prevention, plus another $389,000 to be set aside in a contingency fund in case the Police Department needs it later and the city manager approves.
UPDATED : June 9, 2009
TORRANCE - The City of Torrance proposes to close a $4.5 million deficit in the next fiscal year by raising fees, imposing modest cuts to programs and redeploying personnel. The actions, which include 2 percent to 4 percent cuts in most departments, will also solve an $8 million to $10 million deficit forecast through the end of the 2013-14 fiscal year. However, no layoffs are planned and expenditures in the city's $173.5 million operating budget, which pays for the ongoing costs of such essential services as fire and police, are actually projected to rise 2.5 percent next fiscal year. That will be accomplished in part by boosting fees to bring in an additional $870,000 and imposing cuts of almost $3 million. General fund revenues are projected to rise 1.6 percent. The police and fire departments are currently looking at budget reductions of about 1.2 percent, a much lower figure than others. Cuts of 2 percent approved so far - including not filling four vacant jobs - will save $830,000 in the general fund budget. The city will also tap $620,000 in cash reserves. Larger, permanent organizational changes are proposed in some departments to control costs. Efficiencies within the Police Department - essentially having civilians perform duties now done by more expensive sworn personnel - would save just over $700,000 a year. In the past 12 months or so, about a dozen positions formerly filled by police officers have been switched to civilians. The department also considered, but is not recommending, the elimination or reduction of animal control and school crossing guard programs. The Fire Department is similarly proposing some changes to save money. That includes reducing the Fire Department's Hazardous Materials Response Team from nine to five members through attrition to save $179,000 a year and sending one fire engine instead of two to automatic fire alarms between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. to save $23,000 annually.
UPDATED : April 24, 2009
A Los Angeles City Council committee Monday supported a move by the LAPD to change the rules governing when police officers can use a squad car's lights and sirens to speed through traffic. When dispatched to an emergency, officers respond "Code 3" -- a status that under state law allows them to break traffic laws as long as they use their lights and siren and show regard for the safety of other drivers. The Los Angeles Police Department has long followed an unusually strict policy that, generally speaking, only one patrol car per emergency is dispatched Code 3. To skirt the rules, officers commonly drove "Code 2 1/2 ," an off-the-books practice of racing to a call without lights or sirens to warn other drivers. The unsanctioned practice has been responsible for some of the worst officer-involved traffic collisions, costing the city more than $11 million since 2006. The new policy would give officers in the field the discretion to decide whether to respond Code 3. But after being approved by the civilian panel that oversees the LAPD, the proposed changes were thrown into limbo last week when the City Council took the rare step of exercising its right to assert authority over police issues. Opposition to the new policy was led by Councilman Bernard C. Parks, a former LAPD chief, who raised concerns that it would lead to chaotic situations on city streets and more accidents. The council's four-member Public Safety Committee voted 3 to 1 to support the LAPD's proposed policy. Parks was the lone dissenting voice after Councilman Dennis Zine, also a former officer, backed away from initial concerns to join Councilmen Jack Weiss and Greig Smith in support of the policy.
UPDATED : April 22, 2009
GLENDALE - The Glendale Police Department is testing a three-way helicopter patrol system with Burbank and Pasadena, seeking to improve efficiency as the city scrambles to trim its budget. The Burbank and Glendale police departments, which formed a helicopter partnership two years ago, say their joint venture has been a success and are pooling their helicopter resources with the Pasadena Police Department on a trial basis. After the initial success of sharing a three-city patrol area two days a week between November and January, they are now taking the program four days week. Bob Mulhall, Captain of Pasadena Police Air Operations said his force’s top priority is to improve service rather than to save money, but the effort has already paid off for the other two cities. After being formalized in May 2007, the joint program between the Burbank and Glendale police departments has saved Glendale $300,000 and Burbank $375,000 in annual costs. The Pasadena Police Department approached Burbank and Glendale about joining the partnership in 2008. Because Glendale and Burbank border each other, the two-city partnership has already cut flight time and fuel. Not factored into the coverage area are the other cities Pasadena’s five police helicopters also service: San Marino, Alhambra, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, West Covina, Glendora and La Verne. Pasadena contracts out to these cities as part of the Foothill Air Support Team. Pasadena would not need air support assistance from Glendale and Burbank for that contract, since the city devotes only one helicopter to it at any given time. The main use of the police helicopters is to support police operations, such as traffic enforcement, and serve as an observation platform for wildfires. The money from a three-city helicopter program would be very useful, because all three police departments are understaffed. Glendale has 1.2 police officers per every 1,000 people. Burbank has 1.5 police officers per 1,000 people. Pasadena has 1.8 police officers per 1,000 people.
UPDATED : April 20, 2009
LOS ANGELES - Overtime pay for the Los Angeles Fire Department soared 60 percent over the last decade while its ranks grew just 17 percent, but there is no real effort to rein in the expense despite the city's budget crisis. An analysis by the Los Angeles Daily News found that Los Angeles firefighters now average six times more overtime than their counterparts in Chicago, five times more than in Houston and two times more than in San Diego - a city that has roughly the same ratio of firefighters to residents as Los Angeles. The analysis found that fifty-six firefighters earned at least $100,000 in overtime on top of their annual salaries last year, up from three in 1999 and 10 in 2005. The average Los Angeles firefighter earned about $36,500 in overtime in 2008, compared with $29,000 in 1999. Their average salary and overtime compensation totaled $117,000. The department's top earner racked up a total of $570,276 in overtime in the last three years, including $206,685 in 2006. His three-year overtime total was nearly double his base salary for that period. Over the past 10 years, the Fire Department has increased its staffing by 17 percent to 3,586 firefighters, as the city and its needs have grown. Nevertheless, officials and union leaders say, massive amounts of overtime are still needed. One reason is that National Fire Protection Association guidelines require the department to staff 1,104 positions at the city's 106 fire stations around the clock. Then there are the 120 vacancies on the force - positions that intentionally have been left unfilled. In the long run, officials say, it is cheaper to pay overtime than to hire more firefighters, whose annual salary, benefits and training add up to at least $100,000 each. But taxpayer advocates call the ballooning overtime bill a "racket" designed to enrich firefighters at taxpayer expense. Even a recently retired LAFD captain said the staffing system needs to be overhauled. The Los Angeles County Fire Department, for instance, assigns three firefighters to each engine, while the city agency requires four on a rig that is the same size. Even cities like San Diego - which, like Los Angeles, requires four firefighters per rig and has roughly one firefighter per 1,100 residents - operate with significantly less overtime. And while the vast majority of L.A.'s calls are for medical emergencies rather than fires, just one-fifth of city firefighters are cross-trained as paramedics. Barry said he is looking at ways to trim overtime costs incurred by firefighters deployed to ensure public safety at marches, awards shows and other events - but those account for only a fraction of overtime expenses. Apart from trying to reduce overtime at these events, however, the department has not been given any directive from the city to reduce overtime costs. In all but one of the last 10 years, overtime increased annually in the department. Last year, the LAFD paid $139 million in overtime, up from $86 million in 1999. Today, nearly a quarter of the department's $562 million budget goes toward overtime. In this database, you can search for firefighters by name to see how much they've earned in overtime over the last decade.
UPDATED : April 9, 2009
LA HABRA – A woman was killed Sunday when the vehicle she was in collided with an on-duty police car in La Habra. A La Habra police car traveling north on Euclid Street collided around 5 p.m. with the vehicle – a 2004 Chrysler – traveling eastbound on La Habra Boulevard. The officer in the crash was heading to help other police officers who were pursuing a parolee on foot at the 200 block of Capella Avenue. The parolee was believed to be armed, and the police officers there asked for back up. The parolee was later arrested. The Chrysler landed upside down in the Civic Center's parking lot at the intersection's northeast corner, within yards of the La Habra Police Department. The police car ended up on grass between the parking lot and the street. A preliminary investigation by the California Highway Patrol has determined that a police car involved in a fatal crash Sunday night had its siren and flashing lights on at the time of the collision. Susanne Antuna, 54, died at the scene after the 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser in which she was traveling crashed with the police car. Her husband, Charles Antuna, 55, who was driving, died early today. Ray Payton, a public information officer with the CHP, said the initial investigation showed that the police car was traveling at about 50 mph at the time of the crash. CHP officers interviewed witnesses at the scene of the crash Sunday night. Dispatch logs from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which serves La Habra, show that an ambulance left the accident scene with Charles Antuna about 40 minutes after the accident was called in at 5:02 p.m. The officer had been taken in an ambulance one minute earlier. The Antunas were not wearing their seat belts, according to the CHP. The parolee, Roary William Gorbea, was in a standoff with police at an apartment in the 900 block of Hillside Street, according to police. The standoff ended peacefully and Gorbea was taken into custody. Gorbea was charged with murder for being the precipitant to the cause of the Antuna's deaths, as well as charges related to his parole violation.
UPDATED : March 23, 2009
PASADENA - A man was rescued from his burning house Sunday morning by a Burbank police officer on duty for the Pasadena Marathon. Officer Kerry Schilf, a 17-year veteran with the Burbank Police Department was part of a joint patrol handling crowd control when he heard a report of a house fire over the police scanner. Shilf ran to the home about a block away in the 1700 block of East Del Mar Boulevard, kicked down the door, and pulled the homeowner to safety. The resident was disoriented by the smoke, but had been alerted by a smoke detector, according to Pasadena fire officials who say that may have helped saved the man's life. Pasadena firefighters put out the 7 a.m. fire in 15 minutes. The 66-year-old man suffered smoke inhalation and his hair was singed, but he refused to go to the hospital, wanting to stay with his injured pet cats. He was treated at the scene. One of the cats was resuscitated by Pasadena bike team paramedics, but three others died as a result of the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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