So the latest rainstorm (first of three, says the NWS) has created a mess of things in Beverly Hills. I guess because it started pissing rain midday everyone got all confused. A bunch of signal lights up on both Santa Monica Boulevards shorted out around 2 p.m., snarling things. Then the accidents started.Seems there was a major smash-up at Sunset and Alpine that requires all sorts of crime scene unit callouts and other shenanigans.* Apparently it's not going to be a major crime, per the Sgt. on scene, but clearly there was a head-on crash with fire and significant injuries; a crash on Olympic and Clark in the south end and some other bang-up at Rexford and Lexington. A second head-on wreck just went down on the nasty S-curve just west of Whittier on Sunset and traffic is backed up for miles.
Ugly start to a wet weekend. Slow down on the drive home, idiots. Slow down.
photo: Wilshire and Rodeo, courtesy of rivenrock.com
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2 comments:
Funny, I usually read this but was off work and listened. I heard all this go down. I didn't realize BH had THREE REsuces, thought they had 2 but they fished a "rescue 3" out of somewhere for the wreck on Sunset and Whittier, but added the LA County squad 7, so maybe its a BLS. FUrthermore I was confused when Truck 4 went to that medical on Doheny with a private 15 mintues behind. At the same time REscue 71 showed up at the wreck on Sunset and Whittier, was cancelled but asked if they were needed somewhere else, BH declined...woudln't that have been cloeer than the private? THEN REscue 2 comes available and they never attached it to the medical on doheny. AT one point Truck 4 asked if a rescue had gone available , and the dispater said, "yead REscue 2 is available in quarters" Like....??? But they let the private come through anyway. Been listening to BHFD a lot lately and it seems to me like the dispaters aren't always there or see all the cards layed out like OCD does.
Anon, thanks for the comment. I actually blogged about this very issue way back in 2006. I think it's titled "BHFD and the Horrors of the Private Ambulance." BHFD has at least three, if not four actual RAs since they took delivery of new Freightliners last year and probably kept the old two as standby rigs. Not sure if they staffed the backup RA with EMT's or Medics, but probably grabbed some guys off Engine 5 for the task. Calling a private ambulance is basically a worst-case-scenario for the BHFD. They absolutely hate doing it. 1. because they're total snobs and 2. because they worry that it will look really bad to the residents if, after calling 911 for an emergency (and paying all of those big time tax $$$), they have to wait 15 minutes for an ambulance. So it's a bit of a PR thing, as well. As for LAFD, the only time their help is ever desired is on structure fires, when they really can't get there fast enough. The two agencies don't really care to share EMS resources unless the call is up off Coldwater in those windy streets where Engine 108 and BH Engine 2's first-ins collide. For some reason, BH has a much better/formal mutual aid deal with LACoFD than LAFD. I'm sure there's some twisted backstory on that, too.
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