| California wildfires again riveted the nation's | | | | stations and a Los Angeles population of just |
| attention during a roughly two-week period | | | | 50,000 to become one of the country's largest |
| beginning in mid-October 2007. When wildfires | | | | firefighting services. Today's force levels top out |
| strike the Golden State, overall responsibility for | | | | at slightly more than 3,600 uniformed firefighters, |
| fighting the blazes is in the hands of CAL FIRE, | | | | who man more than a hundred fire stations. More |
| the California Department of Forestry and Fire | | | | than 4 million L.A. residents currently rely on the |
| Protection. However, a number of local counties, | | | | LAFD for fire prevention, fire fighting, EMC |
| ranging from Marin, Kern and Santa Barbara to | | | | services, hazmat mitigation and disaster response. |
| Ventura, Orange and Los Angeles County, are | | | | An important but often overlooked part of the |
| paid by CAL FIRE to provide wildfire services | | | | the force comprises the five fire boats that |
| nominally considered the State's responsibility. | | | | protect the Port of Los Angeles. Perched on the |
| While most of the damage caused by the | | | | shores of San Pedro Bay, about thirty kilometers |
| October 2007 wildfires was in San Diego County, | | | | due south of downtown Los Angeles, the Port of |
| firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire | | | | Los Angeles is the busiest container port in the |
| Department (LAFD) nevertheless responded to | | | | United States with a container volume of 7.4 |
| several wildfires in Los Angeles County. According | | | | million TEUs in 2004, the last year for which |
| to the LAFD website, firefighters from the city's | | | | figures of this kind are available. The Port also has |
| fire department rolled out to both the so-called | | | | the West Coast's largest cruise ship facility, which |
| Buckweed Fire near Agua Dulce, about twelve | | | | handles in excess of one million cruise ship |
| miles north of Los Angeles, and the so-called | | | | passengers annually. |
| Canyon Fire, a brush fire about eight miles west | | | | Five fire boats guard the Port of Los Angeles |
| of Los Angeles near Malibu, California. Overall, the | | | | from fires that have the potential to be just as |
| LAFD deployed five Strike Teams comprising | | | | devastating as the California wildfires of 2007. The |
| some 150 firefighters during the October wildfire | | | | latest of these, the Warner Lawrence, is a |
| crisis. | | | | 105-foot powerhouse with the ability to pump |
| The Los Angeles Fire Department is considered | | | | 38,000 gallons of water per minute at heights of |
| well-equipped to serve the fire-prevention and | | | | up to 400 feet. The Warner Lawrence replaced |
| fire-fighting needs of America's second biggest | | | | the LAFD's oldest fire boat, the 78-year-old Ralph |
| city. Launched formally in 1886 through the | | | | J. Scott, in April 2003. Matt Paolini is a senior |
| amalgamation of several volunteer fire companies | | | | researcher for CityBook, the family-safe Online |
| founded as early as the 1870s, the LAFD has | | | | Yellow Pages, which carries an extensive directory |
| grown from its original complement of four fire | | | | on Los Angeles civil law. |