I was going to compose a long-winded post about the difficulties of securing a college campus with 26,000 students, but instead, I'll say only this.
Yesterday's shooting at Virginia Tech could happen at "Any University USA." Securing a sprawling campus from a gunman carrying two pistols is very hard, if not impossible. Even given a two hour headstart when you're being led by clues that tell you one thing, it's hard to devote the enormous resources required to shut down an entire university on the off chance that the gunman will show up across campus at carry out a massacre.
Nevertheless, it's likely the VT police chief's head will roll and maybe the school's president, too. But when I worked in the public safety sector in cities with big universities, even responding to the smallest emergency calls came with their own sense of chaos and disorder, if for no other reason than because colleges are almost always a swirling hive of activity.
An event like this could unfold exactly the same way tomorrow right in your own town...and it'd be just as hard to stop.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
More Wind = More Brushers
Some of the strongest winds this L.A. native has ever experienced here are raking the Basin right now. My modern office building is creaking and groaning; the wooden parking gate arm has snapped off and one very expensive home has burned to the ground in Beverly Hills on a gnarly hop-skipping brush fire going on right now around one of my favorite park areas.
Stepped out of my car in BH this afternoon during the windstorm and immediately smelled that brush fire smell. Quick secret call to the LAFD PIO confirmed they had one acre of brush going up on N. Beverly Drive. The fire straddled the border between LA City and Beverly Hills, a mutual-aid nightmare.
While eating, I saw the usual suspects LF92 and LF58 blast by going north on Beverly, as well as Battalion 18. Towards the end of the meal, E26 (stationed down at Arlington and the Santa Monica Freeway!!!) and E43 from Cheviot Hills/Palms heading up to the fire. After lunch couldn't see a good loom-up because the wind was blasting so hard but headed up to the area to see if it was still going.
Streets were closed and traffic was bad so I flipped a U and headed back to work as E47 came up Beverly from Sunset. By the time I got back to my desk and flipped on the Bearcat, they had Strike Teams staging up at Sunset and Beverly including a LACoFD unit based in Carson and entire Downey FD team! Crazy. Santa Monica Fire is in on it too under a Strike Team arrangement.
They got a handle on it but it's still windy as hell.
Stepped out of my car in BH this afternoon during the windstorm and immediately smelled that brush fire smell. Quick secret call to the LAFD PIO confirmed they had one acre of brush going up on N. Beverly Drive. The fire straddled the border between LA City and Beverly Hills, a mutual-aid nightmare.
While eating, I saw the usual suspects LF92 and LF58 blast by going north on Beverly, as well as Battalion 18. Towards the end of the meal, E26 (stationed down at Arlington and the Santa Monica Freeway!!!) and E43 from Cheviot Hills/Palms heading up to the fire. After lunch couldn't see a good loom-up because the wind was blasting so hard but headed up to the area to see if it was still going.
Streets were closed and traffic was bad so I flipped a U and headed back to work as E47 came up Beverly from Sunset. By the time I got back to my desk and flipped on the Bearcat, they had Strike Teams staging up at Sunset and Beverly including a LACoFD unit based in Carson and entire Downey FD team! Crazy. Santa Monica Fire is in on it too under a Strike Team arrangement.
They got a handle on it but it's still windy as hell.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Lunchtime and Lost Comms
Invariably, the big stuff goes down when I'm at a meal and far away from my scanner. In fact, the last time a huge structure fire dropped in Beverly Hills, I was sitting at the same joint watching BHFD and LAFD units cruise by. Of course, I'm sans scanner the whole time so I don't find out what's cracking until I get to my radio!
This time, as I swung a right on Wilshire I look up to see heavy smoke sitting overhead, but my view is obscured by high-rises, so I couldn't see the origin. Thought at first it was a big commercial structure since it was putting out a ton of dark smoke, but when I finally got a glimpse of the hills a few minutes later, could see the smoke charging over the ridge on the Valley-side. By the time I got up to my office, had a great view of the fire and the helos were but little specks in the distance making water runs.
Turned to OCD 9, but all the fun was pretty much over by then. Just the usual mid-incident requests for random crap. The traffic on the Tac Channels was also pretty routine about fire roads, flare ups and hose lays. I missed all the unit dispatches, which is usually the best shit.
Anyway, they're getting a good handle on it right now and never ceases to amaze me how good these LAFD and LACoFD guys are when it comes to this stuff. Burbank FD got in on it, too.
photo: deposee
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Sounds About Right...
A little late on this one because I was out of town and am not a regular L.A. Weekly reader, anyway. But a slightly snippy post on the L.A. Times Web site pointed me to an excellent investigative piece of journalism by Christine Pelisek over at the Weekly.
It's a long story that attempts to chronicle and explain the Tennie Pierce debacle. Long story short, Pierece was a black LAFD fireman with about 20 years on the job. He was unwittingly served dog food down at the old FS 5 in Westchester a few years ago after a beach volleyball game (FS 5 is down by LAX and includes some prime L.A. beach sand in its First-In).
Pierce, whose self-appointed moniker was "Big Dog," apparently hurt a young FF/PM's feelings during the game and was served the food in his spaghetti as a result. Without going into the details, it looks like the LAFD fucked-up its internal investigation, but the real crime was the city attorney's office bending over as it agreed to a nearly $3 million settlement that was rubber-stamped by the City Council. The ridiculous amount, for which Pierce claimed racial discrimination in the prank, was later vetoed by Mayor Tony. The council upheld the veto after it emerged that Pierce loved himself some pranks, too! Now the whole thing is heading to trial, where I suspect Mr. Pierce won't get a dime.
Anyway, read Ms. Pelisek's enlightening story.
As I've mentioned way below on this blog (maybe my first entry?) I, once upon a time, was a real-life emergency worker. One of my fairly brief stops along the way was at the LAFD, where I was on the receiving end of a very thorough EMS education and an even more thorough case of hazing and being at the very bottom of a shit-rolling hill. When the Pierce case was making big headlines a few months ago, I seriously debated posting a long diatribe about both my experiences with the Department and my opinion of Mr. Pierce's case. I decided against it at the time, and I won't do it now.
All I will say is this: Until the LAFD's culture changes in a VERY fundamental way, there will always be hazing, pranks, hurt feelings and the spectre of impending lawsuits in its fire stations. The Department's (and top city officials--including City Controller Laura Chick) insistence that change must begin at the top is exactly the opposite of what must happen.
The change in attitude must start at the very bottom of the ladder. The experience of fire department recruits from their first day at the Drill Tower these days is allegedly fairer and more judicious than ever before. But it's their first year or two in the field that shapes the behavior and attitudes that they will carry with them for the rest of their career. The culture that "turds," humiliates, denigrates and punishes the "boots" throughout their probationary year produces the same personnel that will, in turn, foist the same behavior upon the next generation of recruits. Until that cycle is broken, so too, will be the LAFD.
It's a long story that attempts to chronicle and explain the Tennie Pierce debacle. Long story short, Pierece was a black LAFD fireman with about 20 years on the job. He was unwittingly served dog food down at the old FS 5 in Westchester a few years ago after a beach volleyball game (FS 5 is down by LAX and includes some prime L.A. beach sand in its First-In).
Pierce, whose self-appointed moniker was "Big Dog," apparently hurt a young FF/PM's feelings during the game and was served the food in his spaghetti as a result. Without going into the details, it looks like the LAFD fucked-up its internal investigation, but the real crime was the city attorney's office bending over as it agreed to a nearly $3 million settlement that was rubber-stamped by the City Council. The ridiculous amount, for which Pierce claimed racial discrimination in the prank, was later vetoed by Mayor Tony. The council upheld the veto after it emerged that Pierce loved himself some pranks, too! Now the whole thing is heading to trial, where I suspect Mr. Pierce won't get a dime.
Anyway, read Ms. Pelisek's enlightening story.
As I've mentioned way below on this blog (maybe my first entry?) I, once upon a time, was a real-life emergency worker. One of my fairly brief stops along the way was at the LAFD, where I was on the receiving end of a very thorough EMS education and an even more thorough case of hazing and being at the very bottom of a shit-rolling hill. When the Pierce case was making big headlines a few months ago, I seriously debated posting a long diatribe about both my experiences with the Department and my opinion of Mr. Pierce's case. I decided against it at the time, and I won't do it now.
All I will say is this: Until the LAFD's culture changes in a VERY fundamental way, there will always be hazing, pranks, hurt feelings and the spectre of impending lawsuits in its fire stations. The Department's (and top city officials--including City Controller Laura Chick) insistence that change must begin at the top is exactly the opposite of what must happen.
The change in attitude must start at the very bottom of the ladder. The experience of fire department recruits from their first day at the Drill Tower these days is allegedly fairer and more judicious than ever before. But it's their first year or two in the field that shapes the behavior and attitudes that they will carry with them for the rest of their career. The culture that "turds," humiliates, denigrates and punishes the "boots" throughout their probationary year produces the same personnel that will, in turn, foist the same behavior upon the next generation of recruits. Until that cycle is broken, so too, will be the LAFD.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
All Around The North America
Left the SoCal last week and spent a few days in Nueva York and then wintry Montreal. Didn't bring the scanner, but a few bits and bobs, as they say:
So about the time I was having a drink or three in the Lower East Side at this fine establishment, a gunman was shooting a bartender in the back at a Greenwich Village Pizzeria. After fleeing the scene he ran down the street being trailed by two of the NYPD's finest "Auxiliary" cops. These are unarmed volunteer officers who walk the streets in the "Bag" (NYPD lingo for the patrol uniform). While they have rudimentary cop training they are supposed to only act in an "eyes and ears" capacity. Now, I'm all for local cop-shops liberally using reserve and civilian officers to take the burden off the duties of the sworn personnel. Both the LAPD and the LASD have great reserve and civilian programs.
But if you're going to put on an authentic cop's uniform with a badge and go on foot patrol UNARMED(!!!!!!!) it's not illogical to think that you might get shot. In fact, the batshit-crazy gunman left the restaurant and began walking down the street with the two Auxiliaries trailing him from across the street. Seeing them, he quickly turned around and ran at them, catching up and shooting both of them dead from point-blank range. Luckily, the two had radioed ahead and sworn personnel were barreling down--but not in time to save the Auxies. A short foot chase ensued and then the cops pumped at least 30 rounds into the gunman (shooting both his thumbs off in the process).
Lesson: Wear the uniform = Carry a gun.
* * * *
Headed up to Montreal for some fun on Friday, and boy they do things different up there. Mostly, it's the French that trips you up. All the Police, Fire and EMS trucks seem to be fairly normal. Even the lime-green Type III Ford ambulances don't look all that goofy. The city was getting about 20 inches of snow in the two days I was on the ground. Didn't keep the EMS, Fire and PD units from trucking around Code 3 all night long. It's been awhile since I drove and ambulance and ran around in the snow, but the memories it brought back weren't pleasant.
* * * *
Back in L.A. after a hellish Sunday travel day in the metal bosom of the best Regional Jets and 737s Continental Airlines had to offer, I was unable to break away to watch the giant A380 arrive at LAX. I had to settle for the Internet video re-runs. Don't know what the wind was like out there yesterday morning but the the French pilot didn't exactly grease the 24R landing. Looked a bit rough and sideways. Still that thing is a fucking monster. It was supposed to depart this afternoon, but it's IFR and rainy out here today. Don't know if it has left yet or that no one has had a chance to YouTube the takeoff.
So about the time I was having a drink or three in the Lower East Side at this fine establishment, a gunman was shooting a bartender in the back at a Greenwich Village Pizzeria. After fleeing the scene he ran down the street being trailed by two of the NYPD's finest "Auxiliary" cops. These are unarmed volunteer officers who walk the streets in the "Bag" (NYPD lingo for the patrol uniform). While they have rudimentary cop training they are supposed to only act in an "eyes and ears" capacity. Now, I'm all for local cop-shops liberally using reserve and civilian officers to take the burden off the duties of the sworn personnel. Both the LAPD and the LASD have great reserve and civilian programs.
But if you're going to put on an authentic cop's uniform with a badge and go on foot patrol UNARMED(!!!!!!!) it's not illogical to think that you might get shot. In fact, the batshit-crazy gunman left the restaurant and began walking down the street with the two Auxiliaries trailing him from across the street. Seeing them, he quickly turned around and ran at them, catching up and shooting both of them dead from point-blank range. Luckily, the two had radioed ahead and sworn personnel were barreling down--but not in time to save the Auxies. A short foot chase ensued and then the cops pumped at least 30 rounds into the gunman (shooting both his thumbs off in the process).
Lesson: Wear the uniform = Carry a gun.
* * * *
Headed up to Montreal for some fun on Friday, and boy they do things different up there. Mostly, it's the French that trips you up. All the Police, Fire and EMS trucks seem to be fairly normal. Even the lime-green Type III Ford ambulances don't look all that goofy. The city was getting about 20 inches of snow in the two days I was on the ground. Didn't keep the EMS, Fire and PD units from trucking around Code 3 all night long. It's been awhile since I drove and ambulance and ran around in the snow, but the memories it brought back weren't pleasant.
* * * *
Back in L.A. after a hellish Sunday travel day in the metal bosom of the best Regional Jets and 737s Continental Airlines had to offer, I was unable to break away to watch the giant A380 arrive at LAX. I had to settle for the Internet video re-runs. Don't know what the wind was like out there yesterday morning but the the French pilot didn't exactly grease the 24R landing. Looked a bit rough and sideways. Still that thing is a fucking monster. It was supposed to depart this afternoon, but it's IFR and rainy out here today. Don't know if it has left yet or that no one has had a chance to YouTube the takeoff.
Monday, March 12, 2007
March Scorcher
As is sometimes the case here in SoCal, for a few days at least, we've skipped Spring and gone straight into Summer. The picture shows flames burning through the Anaheim Hills yesterday, a locale that's way out of Code6Charles' world. I followed the story with limited interest since it's so far south of where I live. LAFD, as is custom, did send two strike teams down there to help and the County also pitched in, but I'm not sure which specific units mobilized. Even though we're setting record temps again today (92, or so, right now), they've managed to knock that thing down after it burned more than 2,000 acres.
Up here in the hot city, I was scanning during the workday and tuned in just in time to hear an LAPD airship report a fast-moving brusher not far from the Griffith Observatory. It took awhile for BC11 to get on scene as the first unit, and E82 was already giving size-ups as the units got on scene. Only about an acre in heavy, remote brush, but they quickly upped the assignment. They flooded the zone with dozens of land-based units--including a pre-assembled Strike Team staged at FS88 in Sherman Oaks. Air Ops got in on it, too, with an assist from the County.
Funny thing, only saw a wisp or two of light smoke from my panoramic office view.
Right now, however, more than two hours into the incident, they're sending E34 into staging and things are still going strong. Hope they don't get another brusher today.
photo: Jebb Harris, OC Register
Up here in the hot city, I was scanning during the workday and tuned in just in time to hear an LAPD airship report a fast-moving brusher not far from the Griffith Observatory. It took awhile for BC11 to get on scene as the first unit, and E82 was already giving size-ups as the units got on scene. Only about an acre in heavy, remote brush, but they quickly upped the assignment. They flooded the zone with dozens of land-based units--including a pre-assembled Strike Team staged at FS88 in Sherman Oaks. Air Ops got in on it, too, with an assist from the County.
Funny thing, only saw a wisp or two of light smoke from my panoramic office view.
Right now, however, more than two hours into the incident, they're sending E34 into staging and things are still going strong. Hope they don't get another brusher today.
photo: Jebb Harris, OC Register
Thursday, March 08, 2007
The Pain In My...
...ass seems nigh. As commenter Karl helpfully pointed out below, Beverly Hills' application for a trunked system seems to have been recently approved. It's only a matter of time, I suppose, before I'll have to dig out the manual on my BC296D to figure out how the hell to program talk groups and all that shit. It used to be BHPD was one of the more annoying scanning channels in SoCal (not counting the head banging inducing game of trying to monitor the L.A. County Sheriffs).
BHPD used to be all about "459 Audibles"--ringing burglar alarms, and traffic stops. The traffic stops are still there--and more interesting these days since those cops basically racially profile every T-stop, and in doing so, actually pull over a goodly number of people driving suspended/revoked and/or with warrants. The volume of ringing alarm bell calls seems to have diminished in the past few years so it's more fun to listen to BHPD than LAPD these days. Especially since so much of the latter's radio traffic is now conducted quietly through the MDTs.
Anyway, I figure I'm on borrowed time in my own city.
BHPD used to be all about "459 Audibles"--ringing burglar alarms, and traffic stops. The traffic stops are still there--and more interesting these days since those cops basically racially profile every T-stop, and in doing so, actually pull over a goodly number of people driving suspended/revoked and/or with warrants. The volume of ringing alarm bell calls seems to have diminished in the past few years so it's more fun to listen to BHPD than LAPD these days. Especially since so much of the latter's radio traffic is now conducted quietly through the MDTs.
Anyway, I figure I'm on borrowed time in my own city.
Monday, March 05, 2007
First Heat
So the year's first real prolonged heat arrived in SoCal over the weekend, just in time for the L.A. Marathon. Did some scattered scanning over the weekend but didn't really lock into anything good.
A 50-year-old bicyclist collapsed and died during the Bike Tour portion of the Marathon festivities. But this fool ain't usually up at 7:14 on a Sunday morning, so I didn't hear the action. But the heat and temperate evening brought out a rash of Structure Fire calls in both the city and county that continued well into the night. Nothing spectacular there, either.
Supposed to cool down the rest of the week, but it was a nice little dose of heat as the Spring gets closer.
A 50-year-old bicyclist collapsed and died during the Bike Tour portion of the Marathon festivities. But this fool ain't usually up at 7:14 on a Sunday morning, so I didn't hear the action. But the heat and temperate evening brought out a rash of Structure Fire calls in both the city and county that continued well into the night. Nothing spectacular there, either.
Supposed to cool down the rest of the week, but it was a nice little dose of heat as the Spring gets closer.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Visitor In a Trunked Land
Did a quick 36 hours up in lovely San Francisco this weekend. Stayed at a nice high-rise hotel right downtown and heard the music of sirens all day and all night long. Used to live up there a few years back and had some pretty decent scanning on the fire channels. The dispatchers were all salty and old school and pretty lousy on the air, but they caught good fires (just like the old East Coast city it wishes it was) and threw a shitload of resources at pretty much every alarm.
While I was there, the whole thing went trunked, which was annoying as shit. Of course, I've got the fancy digital Bearcat and Trunktracker etc., etc. But when you're a tourist, it's no fun to drag even the little Bearcat up there and set up all the Talk Groups. So I listened to the music and saw the badass Rescue 1 tearing ass down Mission Blvd. on Saturday afternoon. Couldn't find a pic of it online, so I had to settle for a Truck Company working something downtown.
I guess my misery index will increase down here in SoCal when BHPD and BHFD finally trunk it.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Flying Eggs!
Beverly Hills PD never ceases to have that small town feel. Officers are on the lookout for flying eggs, near the intersection of Brighton and Camden. "Eggs were seen flying through the air five ago," the dispatcher says. Laughter heard in the background.
Running At Half-Speed
That seems to be the case over at the LAFD blog where Brian Humphrey & Co. have resumed sporadic posting, with incidents generally a few weeks behind. Here's hoping that they catch up soon and are back at full-speed ahead.
* * * *
Also, my fish-out-of-water sighting today came as I strolled down South Beverly Drive in the B.H. and I saw Light Force 102 moseying south gawking at the hotties on the sidewalk and the Ferraris parked at the meters. Based in the Valley's non-descript South Van Nuys area, 102's rarely makes an over-the-hill appearance. No idea what they were doing down here unless they were moving up C-A-V (Conditionally Available) to cover a nearby Task Force house like 58's or 92's while those companies were out on a drill or something.
* * * *
Saw BHFD Engine 2 and one of the Freightliner Rescues working hard today on North Beverly Drive. Parked in the red zone, per usual, while the boys sipped on their $4 Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf drinks. That's a tradition almost as old as I am. What was unusual were the two muscle-T-shirt clad dudes in jungle fatigue pants and black shirts with a stealth BHPD patch on the sleeves. Bright gold badges and 9 mm sidearms on the hips. A little over-the-top per usual for the Beverly Hills public safety. Probably SWAT guys. Enjoying their coffee on the public dime.
* * * *
Also, my fish-out-of-water sighting today came as I strolled down South Beverly Drive in the B.H. and I saw Light Force 102 moseying south gawking at the hotties on the sidewalk and the Ferraris parked at the meters. Based in the Valley's non-descript South Van Nuys area, 102's rarely makes an over-the-hill appearance. No idea what they were doing down here unless they were moving up C-A-V (Conditionally Available) to cover a nearby Task Force house like 58's or 92's while those companies were out on a drill or something.
* * * *
Saw BHFD Engine 2 and one of the Freightliner Rescues working hard today on North Beverly Drive. Parked in the red zone, per usual, while the boys sipped on their $4 Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf drinks. That's a tradition almost as old as I am. What was unusual were the two muscle-T-shirt clad dudes in jungle fatigue pants and black shirts with a stealth BHPD patch on the sleeves. Bright gold badges and 9 mm sidearms on the hips. A little over-the-top per usual for the Beverly Hills public safety. Probably SWAT guys. Enjoying their coffee on the public dime.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Short and Bittersweet
That's the gist of the message the LAFD's Brian Humphrey posted on the LAFD blog earlier today. "Staffing issues" are cited as the reason for the blog's indefinite hiatus.
Humphrey alluded to staffing changes in a mass email he sent to LAFD email recipients earlier this week. Times could be a'changing down in the bowels of LAFD's OCD section. Maybe they're re-evaluating the role of the 24/7 Public Service Officer who takes up a chair (and bed and meal) down in Dispatch, hundreds of feet below City Hall East.
We'll see how this all pans out, but I hope it doesn't spell the death of the excellent blog Humphrey et. al. have put up for the last year or two.
Humphrey alluded to staffing changes in a mass email he sent to LAFD email recipients earlier this week. Times could be a'changing down in the bowels of LAFD's OCD section. Maybe they're re-evaluating the role of the 24/7 Public Service Officer who takes up a chair (and bed and meal) down in Dispatch, hundreds of feet below City Hall East.
We'll see how this all pans out, but I hope it doesn't spell the death of the excellent blog Humphrey et. al. have put up for the last year or two.
Monday, February 05, 2007
While We're At The Fire
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It's worth checking out this great photo from eecue.com of an old 1980's Seagrave working hard as Engine 210 at the Structure at 4th and Broadway this morning.
This is why they call the 200-series engines the "Pump!
All Those EMS Calls...
...are worth it for the overworked downtown LAFD crews if their reward is catching a Major Emergency Structure like the one that hit this morning at 4th and Broadway. I was fast asleep when it went off this morning a little before 5 and by the time I got the scanner cranked up around 8 a.m., all I caught was a little traffic on Tac-12 about shutting down ladder pipes.
LAObserved has a good round-up of the blog action and photos here.
photo: Dave Bullock/eecue.com
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Nitpicking
Folks,
This ain't a breaking news site. Nor do I plan for it to ever descend into a place filled with posts about which agencies use what frequencies and what PL tones (if you have to ask, you really don't want to know).
It was pointed out in the comments section that the devoted enthusiasts over at the SoCalScan Yahoo Group have been dissecting the LAFD/SMFD radio consolidation for months. Those people dissect just about anything public safety radio-related.
In fact, I've been a member of that particular Yahoo Group, which apparently now has 1,735 members, for a number of years. Truth is, I haven't logged on to that site in more than a year. When I need some nagging radio question answered, that's the first place I'll turn.
But you wont find it here. This is place to read random shit about the public safety agencies I'm interested in and other odds and ends I feel like posting. Head over there for the nitty gritty.
Expect my sometimes untimely discoveries and analysis here.
This ain't a breaking news site. Nor do I plan for it to ever descend into a place filled with posts about which agencies use what frequencies and what PL tones (if you have to ask, you really don't want to know).
It was pointed out in the comments section that the devoted enthusiasts over at the SoCalScan Yahoo Group have been dissecting the LAFD/SMFD radio consolidation for months. Those people dissect just about anything public safety radio-related.
In fact, I've been a member of that particular Yahoo Group, which apparently now has 1,735 members, for a number of years. Truth is, I haven't logged on to that site in more than a year. When I need some nagging radio question answered, that's the first place I'll turn.
But you wont find it here. This is place to read random shit about the public safety agencies I'm interested in and other odds and ends I feel like posting. Head over there for the nitty gritty.
Expect my sometimes untimely discoveries and analysis here.
Welcome LAFD Battalion 14...
...to the Internets! Cruising around yesterday, I came upon a link for Batt. 14's blog/website.
The boys over there haven't updated the main page in about two weeks and two of the three platoon sub-pages are also a bit out-dated. But "A" for effort!
Battalion. 14 covers the North Hollywood/Studio City/Toluca Lake districts of the city. Nice to see those guys taking the initiative, using a wee bit o' technology and having some fun with it!
The boys over there haven't updated the main page in about two weeks and two of the three platoon sub-pages are also a bit out-dated. But "A" for effort!
Battalion. 14 covers the North Hollywood/Studio City/Toluca Lake districts of the city. Nice to see those guys taking the initiative, using a wee bit o' technology and having some fun with it!
Friday, January 26, 2007
LAFD's New Voices
So, I thought mine ears were deceiving me earlier today when I turned on the scanner and heard Santa Monica Engine 121 going "available in quarters"on LAFD's dispatch channel 7. I automatically assumed the SMFD engine had been called out on a mutual aid run with a Venice (63), Mar Vista (62) or Palisades (23, 69) LAFD station, which is sometimes the case. I figured they'd been canceled and were just telling OCD they were off the call.
A few hours later, I heard a full blown dispatch in the city of Santa Monica, with SMFD resources and a Gerber ambulance all check in, going en route on OCD 7 (859.4375). Then, I heard a SMFD EMS run on OCD 4--the city's EMS dispatch channel. Could it be???? Was LAFD suddenly dispatching for SMFD? Was this the beginning of the Apocalypse?
The answer is yes, and maybe. Thanks to Kerry over at LACountyfire.com, LA City is now contracting out dispatching services with SMFD as part of an arrangement to test out radio cooperation between fire agencies in Region A. Region A is a grouping of fire departments that all offer mutual aid with each other and mix and match when forming Strike Forces to fight brush fires.
According to Kerry, if it's successful, LAFD could begin dispatching for other agencies on contract, since the City is the region coordinator! Holy shit. This is actually pretty big news and a pretty big adjustment for the extremely territorial City boys.
Already, because SMFD isn't hooked up to the LAFD's mobile computer system, they have to do all of their updates via the radio; they can't just punch a key on the computer to let dispatch see their status. That's virtually a doubling of LAFD's radio traffic, which is a pretty quiet affair these days.
In general, LAFD will "simulcast" all major incidents via the radio and over the nice computerized lady system that now "rings down" at each fire station. Instead of hearing loud bells and buzzers of days past, followed by a grizzled old dispatcher's voice, the men and women of the LAFD are now treated to a steady warble, followed by the smooth voice of a woman from Utah who recorded all of the dispatch combination possibilities. She calmly announces the call: so when a triple GSW comes in, there's no drama on the station intercom, just a middle-American voice telling the units they're going to a shooting.
The live dispatchers will still broadcast major incident dispatches over the air--ones that usually require multiple units from different stations. They also still dispatch any unit over the radio that's out of quarters and driving around the city. But at night, things get super-quiet. That's because all of the EMS dispatches that don't require fire company resources (ambulances without fire engines) are dispatched over the telephone--literally.
It's a throwback from the days when the firefighters didn't want to be awoken by numerous middle of the night EMS calls. Never mind that the opposite isn't the case! If an engine or truck company gets a call that doesn't require EMS, they still get rung down on the overhead speakers and all the station lights go on automatically....who cares about the medics' and EMTs' sleep, right?
Anyway, now that SMFD will need verbal dispatches 24/7 look for the frequencies to get busier. If this experiment works out, it's possible that Culver City, Beverly Hills and others (maybe the South Bay FDs) will all get dispatched by the City. Region C, which includes the Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena departments, already has this centralized system, known as Verdugo Dispatch.
As a side note, I was wondering why the SMFD unit identifiers changed in the last few weeks. What was previously "Engine 1" is now "Engine 121" etc. Must be to align the units with other departments in Region A. I suspect we'll see BHFD changing their identifiers eventually, as well.
Also, be interesting to hear SMFD adopt LAFD terminology.
Let the games begin.
A few hours later, I heard a full blown dispatch in the city of Santa Monica, with SMFD resources and a Gerber ambulance all check in, going en route on OCD 7 (859.4375). Then, I heard a SMFD EMS run on OCD 4--the city's EMS dispatch channel. Could it be???? Was LAFD suddenly dispatching for SMFD? Was this the beginning of the Apocalypse?
The answer is yes, and maybe. Thanks to Kerry over at LACountyfire.com, LA City is now contracting out dispatching services with SMFD as part of an arrangement to test out radio cooperation between fire agencies in Region A. Region A is a grouping of fire departments that all offer mutual aid with each other and mix and match when forming Strike Forces to fight brush fires.
According to Kerry, if it's successful, LAFD could begin dispatching for other agencies on contract, since the City is the region coordinator! Holy shit. This is actually pretty big news and a pretty big adjustment for the extremely territorial City boys.
Already, because SMFD isn't hooked up to the LAFD's mobile computer system, they have to do all of their updates via the radio; they can't just punch a key on the computer to let dispatch see their status. That's virtually a doubling of LAFD's radio traffic, which is a pretty quiet affair these days.
In general, LAFD will "simulcast" all major incidents via the radio and over the nice computerized lady system that now "rings down" at each fire station. Instead of hearing loud bells and buzzers of days past, followed by a grizzled old dispatcher's voice, the men and women of the LAFD are now treated to a steady warble, followed by the smooth voice of a woman from Utah who recorded all of the dispatch combination possibilities. She calmly announces the call: so when a triple GSW comes in, there's no drama on the station intercom, just a middle-American voice telling the units they're going to a shooting.
The live dispatchers will still broadcast major incident dispatches over the air--ones that usually require multiple units from different stations. They also still dispatch any unit over the radio that's out of quarters and driving around the city. But at night, things get super-quiet. That's because all of the EMS dispatches that don't require fire company resources (ambulances without fire engines) are dispatched over the telephone--literally.
It's a throwback from the days when the firefighters didn't want to be awoken by numerous middle of the night EMS calls. Never mind that the opposite isn't the case! If an engine or truck company gets a call that doesn't require EMS, they still get rung down on the overhead speakers and all the station lights go on automatically....who cares about the medics' and EMTs' sleep, right?
Anyway, now that SMFD will need verbal dispatches 24/7 look for the frequencies to get busier. If this experiment works out, it's possible that Culver City, Beverly Hills and others (maybe the South Bay FDs) will all get dispatched by the City. Region C, which includes the Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena departments, already has this centralized system, known as Verdugo Dispatch.
As a side note, I was wondering why the SMFD unit identifiers changed in the last few weeks. What was previously "Engine 1" is now "Engine 121" etc. Must be to align the units with other departments in Region A. I suspect we'll see BHFD changing their identifiers eventually, as well.
Also, be interesting to hear SMFD adopt LAFD terminology.
Let the games begin.
Public Safety Porn
Check out the pics this guy took on his recent trip to the Southland:
He's assciated with EMTBravo.com, an EMS-oriented site that focuses on local EMS happenings in the suburbs outside NYC.
Looks like LAFD has a combination of rigs from Pierce (with high box compartments and low) as well as the new Segrave Marauder II series (pictured above), which I alluded to in a previous post this month. They look slick. What looks a bit lame are the new Pierce LAFD tillered aerials with the clear LED lightbars (also pictured above). Ugh.
Where's My Money?
You only have to be a teensy bit savvy to know that when you call a hooker who you found in the back of the LA Weekly, the front of LAXpress or somewhere in the bowels of Craigslist, that 99% of the time she's gonna bring her "driver".
At the very least, the driver will be big and burly. At the very most, he'll pack some heat. Meantime, at the very least, he'll wait in the car while his associate does her business and returns unharmed and fully compensated. At the very most, he and his female compatriot will try to rob the you--the John.
This extreme can happen a number of ways: The John--who's thinking with his Johnson--will let the chick into his home and she'll try to "renegotiate" on the spot--with no intention of even shedding her shoes, let alone getting naked. If this fails, she'll just return to the car, or call the "driver" from her cell and he'll be at the door in seconds. Other times, it's more blatant. The hook and the driver just show up to the door, began knocking and cause a scene.
Which brings us to last night's BHPD caper on Tower Road. Two patrol units sent to investigate a woman and her "bodyguard" banging on the door of a poor bastard's apartment screaming about money.
Unsurprisingly, by the time units went on scene, the lady and gentleman of the night had disappeared and the RP explained it all away as "somebody must have been playing a pratical joke on me," and just like that, the coppers went available and the crime was solved.
At the very least, the driver will be big and burly. At the very most, he'll pack some heat. Meantime, at the very least, he'll wait in the car while his associate does her business and returns unharmed and fully compensated. At the very most, he and his female compatriot will try to rob the you--the John.
This extreme can happen a number of ways: The John--who's thinking with his Johnson--will let the chick into his home and she'll try to "renegotiate" on the spot--with no intention of even shedding her shoes, let alone getting naked. If this fails, she'll just return to the car, or call the "driver" from her cell and he'll be at the door in seconds. Other times, it's more blatant. The hook and the driver just show up to the door, began knocking and cause a scene.
Which brings us to last night's BHPD caper on Tower Road. Two patrol units sent to investigate a woman and her "bodyguard" banging on the door of a poor bastard's apartment screaming about money.
Unsurprisingly, by the time units went on scene, the lady and gentleman of the night had disappeared and the RP explained it all away as "somebody must have been playing a pratical joke on me," and just like that, the coppers went available and the crime was solved.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
LAFD Blogspot Getting Warmer
The other day, Blogmaster extraordinaire Brian Humphrey wrote a log-form entry on the LAFD blog detailing the busy Sunday handled by the department's Air Operations crews.
It was a good blow-by-blow rarely seen by Humphrey or his fellow bloggers Ron Meyers and Brian Ballton. It's good for the public, but the scannerheads would love to see more dorky detail. Brian has opined in the past that budget restrictions keep him from expanding the blog into more wonkish territory that would include streaming radio audio and/or CAD/dispatch screen capabilities. All that's understood, and I feel that he should campaign for donations to get that stuff up and running.
But Brian et. al could easily add unit numbers and other minutiae to their posts to satisfy the geeks who read the site. First-in companies and Fire Station districts are listed on the attached PDF files that the PSOs include in the emailed incident summaries, but seeing more detail on the blog entries, including lists of equipment that handled units, etc., would be a great first step.
It was a good blow-by-blow rarely seen by Humphrey or his fellow bloggers Ron Meyers and Brian Ballton. It's good for the public, but the scannerheads would love to see more dorky detail. Brian has opined in the past that budget restrictions keep him from expanding the blog into more wonkish territory that would include streaming radio audio and/or CAD/dispatch screen capabilities. All that's understood, and I feel that he should campaign for donations to get that stuff up and running.
But Brian et. al could easily add unit numbers and other minutiae to their posts to satisfy the geeks who read the site. First-in companies and Fire Station districts are listed on the attached PDF files that the PSOs include in the emailed incident summaries, but seeing more detail on the blog entries, including lists of equipment that handled units, etc., would be a great first step.
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