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