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