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