So there was a ripping Major Emergency Structure Fire in the Jefferson Park area on Tuesday night (7/24). Cheyane Caldwell, the A/O of Truck 26 fell through the roof while doing truck work on the vacant building. Luckily, he was quickly rescued by fellow firefighters. The roof was cleared and the firefighters then went defensive.
Caldwell was initially transported to Cedars and then moved to the burn unit down in Torrance, according to a fairly comprehensive post on the LAFD Blog by Pat Marek--a new name in the spokesman world of the LAFD. (Might mean that longtime PSO Ron Meyers is retiring as d'Lisa Davies recently replaced longtime fixture Jim Wells on the "C" shift. Of course "B" Shift stalwart and star blogger Brian Humphrey ain't goin nowhere!).
Anyway, there are some really high quality pictures taken on scene of the West Adams Boulevard fire by John Conkle hosted over on the LAFD Flickr site.
So I wasn't that surprised when I checked the LAFD blog this morning to see Humphrey's open letter to the California Parole Board asking that they deny release of one Mario Catanio who set the fire that killed another Apparatus Operator who fell through the roof in during a North Hollywood blaze in 1981.
First time I've seen Humphrey (presumably with the full blessing of Department brass) take such a public stance on an issue such as this. Usually, Public Information-y things like "change the smoke alarm batteries when you change your clocks" or "Don't play with fireworks," are the message of the day on the Blog.
My brain's a little fried right now, so I don't know what the greater significance of Humphrey's post today means, if there's greater significance at all. Clearly, the close call experienced by A/O Caldwell two days ago brought the issue to the fore today.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Close But...
...no Greater Alarm. LAFD Rescue 827 rolled up to the rear of the CBS studios and called in some fire showing from the rear on the second floor. OCD filled out the assignment and once Batt. 5 got on scene he reported heavy fire venting from the rear of the complex at the crowded Hollywood intersection of Sunset Boulevard and El Centro Avenue.
Batt. 5 pushed the "Greater Alarm" button and OCD sent a nice big assignment with USAR rigs, and plenty of Light Forces, including LF89 all the way from North Hollywood, and Task Force 3 from its quarters Downtown! Sounded like it was shaping up to be a gnarly Major Emergency, that I would have caught from the very, very beginning!!! A true rarity these days.
Alas, it was not to be. Batt. 5 quickly tucked his tail between his legs and told OCD that it was an exterior fire only and it was knocked down. Boooooo! Station 27 and 82 handled the overhaul. Everyone else went home.
Batt. 5 pushed the "Greater Alarm" button and OCD sent a nice big assignment with USAR rigs, and plenty of Light Forces, including LF89 all the way from North Hollywood, and Task Force 3 from its quarters Downtown! Sounded like it was shaping up to be a gnarly Major Emergency, that I would have caught from the very, very beginning!!! A true rarity these days.
Alas, it was not to be. Batt. 5 quickly tucked his tail between his legs and told OCD that it was an exterior fire only and it was knocked down. Boooooo! Station 27 and 82 handled the overhaul. Everyone else went home.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
LAFD Station 36
I must be a tad slow on my LAFD station updates but the new Station 36 appears to have finally opened down in San Pedro on July 8. Just heard them on the scanner going available from some EMS call.
Take a look at the pic...looks like a classic "retirement house" to me...not a rookie in the bunch. Also notice the classic 1990 vintage Seagrave holding down 36's fort. Quiet enough house that they're probably way down on the list for a new rig. What's funny is that I'm sure they were on tonight's shooting down in Pedro, but I didn't hear them go out because I was locked in on the LAPD Harbor frequency.
What I did hear about two minutes ago was Rescue 112 telling OCD that 36's was closer on a call they got dispatched on. One of the familiar female voices working OCD 4 tonight came back and told the medic on 112's that "the computer still says we should send 112 to this call." Medic's reply: "We're enroute." Old habits die hard, boys.
Nothing like hoping to get out of a Sunday night call by trying to beat the system and sacrifice the "new" boys on the block. My advice to the boys on Rescue 112: For every call you're on, there are two others that they can't dispatch you to.
Overheard...
Couple a' interesting calls on a muggy (for L.A., at least) Sunday night:
-- LAPD Wilshire units sent for a man-with-a-gun call at the 99 Cents Only store on Wilshire just west of Fairfax. I work about a hop, skip and a jump from there and was just telling the wife that we should check it out for the brand-name items under a buck--after reading a profile of the company in the Southwest Airlines magazine earlier this week. Turns out, that store is the chain's most profitable, but not such a great PR move when some old guy in an Aloha shirt and a gray beard is waving a gun around and chasing customers.
First unit on scene was an LAPD "William" detective unit, which effectively cased the joint while 7Adam21 was responding Code 3 from Wilshire station. A few more units were requested and they took the guy down just up the street on Wilshire. Never actually found out what he was doing in the store, but the primary unit told another that there were two "victims" in the parking lot. No RA's requested though so it wasn't a shooting.
-- Few minutes later heard the "ambulance shooting" call go out down in Harbor Division, which brought at least six black & whites screaming down to Gaffey Street and Paseo del Mar where they amazingly and quickly apprehended the suspect; quite improbably--for that neighborhood--a white female in a yellow sun dress who had apparently just shot a white male of 45 years square in the chest.
That one might actually make the 11 o'clock news.
-- LAPD Wilshire units sent for a man-with-a-gun call at the 99 Cents Only store on Wilshire just west of Fairfax. I work about a hop, skip and a jump from there and was just telling the wife that we should check it out for the brand-name items under a buck--after reading a profile of the company in the Southwest Airlines magazine earlier this week. Turns out, that store is the chain's most profitable, but not such a great PR move when some old guy in an Aloha shirt and a gray beard is waving a gun around and chasing customers.
First unit on scene was an LAPD "William" detective unit, which effectively cased the joint while 7Adam21 was responding Code 3 from Wilshire station. A few more units were requested and they took the guy down just up the street on Wilshire. Never actually found out what he was doing in the store, but the primary unit told another that there were two "victims" in the parking lot. No RA's requested though so it wasn't a shooting.
-- Few minutes later heard the "ambulance shooting" call go out down in Harbor Division, which brought at least six black & whites screaming down to Gaffey Street and Paseo del Mar where they amazingly and quickly apprehended the suspect; quite improbably--for that neighborhood--a white female in a yellow sun dress who had apparently just shot a white male of 45 years square in the chest.
That one might actually make the 11 o'clock news.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Angry Mood Out There
Driving around Beverly Hills at lunch time and drivers and peds seemed unusually pissy. Saw BHFD and BHPD racing all around town Code 3. Anger in the air.
Monday, July 16, 2007
LAPD Air Unit Gets Sick
Mellow Monday night, until Air 18 comes over the HOTSHOT frequency to broadcast a "Help" call and announcing a precautionary landing in the old K-Mart parking lot in Northeast Division. Pilot puts the bird down and the black and whites swarm the scene (as well as seven plainclothes guys in the area who fruitlessly tried to shut down traffic while the helo's blades were still spinning.
LAFD sent a full "aircraft down" response, but Task Force 50 arrived on scene and alerted the cavalry that it was a medical call only--seems the helo pilot had a medical emergency of unknown type. The LAFD RA arrived on scene to transport the cop.
A little bit of spice to start the week!
Watching the Vollies!
Spent a nice weekend in the "Finger Lakes Region" of upstate New York. Never been up there before, and it's really pretty country, though I know that it's probably a bit chilly for most of the year. Hung out in the charming town of Skaneateles and stayed at a little B&B about 300 yards from the central volunteer fire station. It's been too long since I've been around a vollie town but over the course of two days, we heard the big air-raid siren go off four times.
We'd watch the various pickup trucks with flashing blue lights race into the town center from all directions before mounting up and heading out to the call, sirens screaming. Of course, it was at least 10 minutes from first air-raid siren to actual fire engine siren, so I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that "emergency response"--but, of course, better than no response at all. Almost makes me wish I lived in a small town again and had my old 1995 Honda Accord with the red and white mounted dash strobe!
We'd watch the various pickup trucks with flashing blue lights race into the town center from all directions before mounting up and heading out to the call, sirens screaming. Of course, it was at least 10 minutes from first air-raid siren to actual fire engine siren, so I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that "emergency response"--but, of course, better than no response at all. Almost makes me wish I lived in a small town again and had my old 1995 Honda Accord with the red and white mounted dash strobe!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Overheard...
Caught the LAFD working a physical rescue traffic accident late night on Thursday on a particularly nasty stretch of Sunset Boulevard out in the Pacific Palisades. When I was in high school back in the 20th Century, a boneheaded classmate totaled his car in the exact same spot when he head-on'd some unsuspecting baby boomer going the opposite direction. Miraculously, he wasn't killed, or even badly hurt.
Not the case for the 17-year-old kid driving his Honda a few days ago. He wrapped it around a tree on the curvy road and died. I heard Battalion 9 rolling out there getting an update from Task Force 69 on the scene. You know it's bad when they have Heavy Rescue 56 responding from their quarters in Los Feliz (probably a 25 minute Code 3 response with no traffic, at the bare minimum). You know it's even worse when they don't cancel them....means the driver's really stuck and very likely really dead.
Not the case for the 17-year-old kid driving his Honda a few days ago. He wrapped it around a tree on the curvy road and died. I heard Battalion 9 rolling out there getting an update from Task Force 69 on the scene. You know it's bad when they have Heavy Rescue 56 responding from their quarters in Los Feliz (probably a 25 minute Code 3 response with no traffic, at the bare minimum). You know it's even worse when they don't cancel them....means the driver's really stuck and very likely really dead.
I Scanned....
...myself! An emergent basement flooding situation late last week forced me to wake the fine men of BHFD Station 3 well after midnight. I heard the dispatch go down over the scanner (we only warranted a "Minor Flooding" incident type!!!)
They brought the engine screaming Code 3 down Olympic Boulevard and promptly shut off some water and gas lines in the basement before trudging back to their engine--and back to bed.
Thanks guys!
They brought the engine screaming Code 3 down Olympic Boulevard and promptly shut off some water and gas lines in the basement before trudging back to their engine--and back to bed.
Thanks guys!
Monday, July 02, 2007
Griffith Park Burns....
....Internet survives. This is a long-winded post by a woman named Donna Barstow. Check it out. If you don't have time, just read below.
Summary:
She lives near Griffith Park. She loves animals. She loves her Griffith Park. She doesn't understand fire. She doesn't really understand fighting fires. She admits this. She blames the LAFD for letting the recent Griffith Park brusher burn too long and too bright. She is happy no one died. I think.
She is happy no one lost their homes. Sort of. She is unhappy lots of plants and animals died. She doesn't like that they may have suffered. She doesn't like that no one is taking responsibility. She doesn't like her City Councilman's, the cops' or the fire department's reasoning or explanation about why there was a fire that burned so long and so bright. She senses conspiracy. She loves animals. She doesn't like that the media ignored the story of how many animals died; in what gruesome fashion and why they weren't saved. Same goes for the plants.
I love animals. My wife loves animals. We have an animal. I would be sad if my animal (or my wife) died in a brush fire.
Donna Barstow, however, doesn't really give much thought or credence to the idea that there are forest and brush fires all over the world every day--far from the reaches of people--where plants and animals die horrible deaths. Where is the media, the LAFD, the LAPD or the City of Los Angeles then? Donna Barstow clearly does not care for all of the majestic creatures big and small that probably perished in the forest fire in South Lake Tahoe last week. She makes no mention of the hundreds of acres of charred pine forest during that blaze, or the ash that fell into the gorgeous lake.
Nor does Donna seem to understand (as has been ably pointed out in her blog's comments section) that nature takes care of nature. That undergrowth and chaparral needs to burn every generation or two. That this is a natural process. Donna seems to take a misguided view of nature in her backyard. Her view is one of coddling and cuddling, not the reality that life is nasty, brutish and short...and that's often the case with a large portion of the world's humans, let alone animals. Survival of the fittest, etc. Where is her outcry for all of the helpless creatures that have certainly died in three or four brush fires currently raging in Southern California?
Donna loves her park. Donna doesn't really want to understand much beyond the fact that the fire hurt plants and animals. But that fire is one of the best things to happen to the park since the last big brusher there about 80 years ago. It cleared out vast sections that needed a good burn. And one other benefit--yet unmentioned--is that it also burned out the tons of garbage that has been collecting unchecked in Griffith Park for decades. Donna's City of Los Angeles (or her park) wasn't in any hurry to clean up a cluttered urban garbage dump. Luckily, nature did it for her.
Summary:
She lives near Griffith Park. She loves animals. She loves her Griffith Park. She doesn't understand fire. She doesn't really understand fighting fires. She admits this. She blames the LAFD for letting the recent Griffith Park brusher burn too long and too bright. She is happy no one died. I think.
She is happy no one lost their homes. Sort of. She is unhappy lots of plants and animals died. She doesn't like that they may have suffered. She doesn't like that no one is taking responsibility. She doesn't like her City Councilman's, the cops' or the fire department's reasoning or explanation about why there was a fire that burned so long and so bright. She senses conspiracy. She loves animals. She doesn't like that the media ignored the story of how many animals died; in what gruesome fashion and why they weren't saved. Same goes for the plants.
I love animals. My wife loves animals. We have an animal. I would be sad if my animal (or my wife) died in a brush fire.
Donna Barstow, however, doesn't really give much thought or credence to the idea that there are forest and brush fires all over the world every day--far from the reaches of people--where plants and animals die horrible deaths. Where is the media, the LAFD, the LAPD or the City of Los Angeles then? Donna Barstow clearly does not care for all of the majestic creatures big and small that probably perished in the forest fire in South Lake Tahoe last week. She makes no mention of the hundreds of acres of charred pine forest during that blaze, or the ash that fell into the gorgeous lake.
Nor does Donna seem to understand (as has been ably pointed out in her blog's comments section) that nature takes care of nature. That undergrowth and chaparral needs to burn every generation or two. That this is a natural process. Donna seems to take a misguided view of nature in her backyard. Her view is one of coddling and cuddling, not the reality that life is nasty, brutish and short...and that's often the case with a large portion of the world's humans, let alone animals. Survival of the fittest, etc. Where is her outcry for all of the helpless creatures that have certainly died in three or four brush fires currently raging in Southern California?
Donna loves her park. Donna doesn't really want to understand much beyond the fact that the fire hurt plants and animals. But that fire is one of the best things to happen to the park since the last big brusher there about 80 years ago. It cleared out vast sections that needed a good burn. And one other benefit--yet unmentioned--is that it also burned out the tons of garbage that has been collecting unchecked in Griffith Park for decades. Donna's City of Los Angeles (or her park) wasn't in any hurry to clean up a cluttered urban garbage dump. Luckily, nature did it for her.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Calls O' The Weekend
One of the great things about scanning the BHPD (still not trunked!) is hearing them leap into action. Sure, if you scan the LAPD "Hotshot" frequency all day, you'll hear some of the gnarliest calls go down. In fact, an hour of LAPD hotshot calls is likely the equivalent of many smaller police department's violent calls for the entire year.
Such was the case on Saturday night when Beverly Hills' finest were dispatched to a report of juveniles shooting at cars and buildings with BB guns from a parking lot on Olympic Boulevard. The location is about two blocks from my house, and despite the temptation to go running out to watch the action, I didn't particularly want to get shot with a BB or, more likely, with a 9mm from the boys in blue.
Needless to say, things in South Beverly Hills were a bit quiet that night, so virtually the entire on duty patrol force responded to the scene. Two units shut down traffic in both directions, while at least four more staged a little ways from the lot. The citizen calling 911 had stayed on the line and was directing the cops in. In short order, the kids with the gun must have realized the absence of traffic on Olympic was a bit suspicious and as they jumped in their cars to make a quick escape, they were surrounded.
The BHPD made quick work of the ruffians and once more opened the busy street to late night traffic. But it's one of those that definitely got the BHPD's blood pumping.
And just when I thought that'd be the best call of the night, the good folks over at LAPD West LA Division requested backup and an air unit in one of the ritziest parts of town--Brentwood.
Turns out, an unruly man had fought with some patrol officers in a backyard and tried to pull the female officer into the pool with him. He was unsuccessful in this attempt, but he ended up in the pool anyway. A few Code 3 units and an Airship later, the suspect was still in the pool, surrounded by officers and a nitesun. They eventually called the LAFD in to fish him out of the pool and they then tased him for good measure.
Such was the case on Saturday night when Beverly Hills' finest were dispatched to a report of juveniles shooting at cars and buildings with BB guns from a parking lot on Olympic Boulevard. The location is about two blocks from my house, and despite the temptation to go running out to watch the action, I didn't particularly want to get shot with a BB or, more likely, with a 9mm from the boys in blue.
Needless to say, things in South Beverly Hills were a bit quiet that night, so virtually the entire on duty patrol force responded to the scene. Two units shut down traffic in both directions, while at least four more staged a little ways from the lot. The citizen calling 911 had stayed on the line and was directing the cops in. In short order, the kids with the gun must have realized the absence of traffic on Olympic was a bit suspicious and as they jumped in their cars to make a quick escape, they were surrounded.
The BHPD made quick work of the ruffians and once more opened the busy street to late night traffic. But it's one of those that definitely got the BHPD's blood pumping.
And just when I thought that'd be the best call of the night, the good folks over at LAPD West LA Division requested backup and an air unit in one of the ritziest parts of town--Brentwood.
Turns out, an unruly man had fought with some patrol officers in a backyard and tried to pull the female officer into the pool with him. He was unsuccessful in this attempt, but he ended up in the pool anyway. A few Code 3 units and an Airship later, the suspect was still in the pool, surrounded by officers and a nitesun. They eventually called the LAFD in to fish him out of the pool and they then tased him for good measure.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Smooth
The LAFD might have a completely fucked internal culture with lots of bad apples (and a few truly rotten ones), but they're the best fire department in the world because of the way they handle things like today's early morning fire out in Van Nuys.
Don't ask me what I was doing awake at 2 a.m. on a "school night" but I heard LAPD Air 8 tell OCD that they had a single-family dwelling with smoke and fire through the roof near Sherman Way in Van Nuys. OCD sent out the structure assignment and a few minutes later Task Force 39 was on scene in the 13800 block of Enadia Way. I don't know who the Captain (II) was on TF39 last night, but he was as cool as a cucumber.
Until Battalion 10 arrived on scene a good eight minutes or so later, the Task Force Commander of old 39's was directing a finely choreographed ballet of fire-attack teams, search and rescue, truck companies on the roof, truck companies inside, and staging companies as they arrived on scene. No chaos, no confusion, no concern. The fire was raging inside a home under renovation, but each firefighter and captain who got on the radio during the incident was calm, cool and collected--even the guys at the end of the nozzle inside. The boys from Battalion 10 (who catch a decent amount of fire in the modern, generally fire-less, era) obviously work well together.
Knockdown was achieved in only 22 minutes, a remarkable feat, given that likely more than 90% of fire departments in the U.S. would have lost the house completely. Anyway, it's fires like those that make visualizing the LAFD at work through the little scanner speaker such a joy.
Kudos also to the LAFD and LACoFD who played well this morning on the radio on a mutual aid response to a brush fire in the County along the Antelope Valley Freeway. Everyone played nice and kept the fire to only about 10 acres.
Don't ask me what I was doing awake at 2 a.m. on a "school night" but I heard LAPD Air 8 tell OCD that they had a single-family dwelling with smoke and fire through the roof near Sherman Way in Van Nuys. OCD sent out the structure assignment and a few minutes later Task Force 39 was on scene in the 13800 block of Enadia Way. I don't know who the Captain (II) was on TF39 last night, but he was as cool as a cucumber.
Until Battalion 10 arrived on scene a good eight minutes or so later, the Task Force Commander of old 39's was directing a finely choreographed ballet of fire-attack teams, search and rescue, truck companies on the roof, truck companies inside, and staging companies as they arrived on scene. No chaos, no confusion, no concern. The fire was raging inside a home under renovation, but each firefighter and captain who got on the radio during the incident was calm, cool and collected--even the guys at the end of the nozzle inside. The boys from Battalion 10 (who catch a decent amount of fire in the modern, generally fire-less, era) obviously work well together.
Knockdown was achieved in only 22 minutes, a remarkable feat, given that likely more than 90% of fire departments in the U.S. would have lost the house completely. Anyway, it's fires like those that make visualizing the LAFD at work through the little scanner speaker such a joy.
Kudos also to the LAFD and LACoFD who played well this morning on the radio on a mutual aid response to a brush fire in the County along the Antelope Valley Freeway. Everyone played nice and kept the fire to only about 10 acres.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Heat and Helos at Hansen Dam!
So I was waiting on this post to see what, if any, photos would pop up on the Internets from Saturday's "American Heroes Airshow" out at the Hansen Dam Recreation Area in the deep San Fernando Valley. Despite my fairly cursory search, I was unable to find any good pics, though I saw at least five or six credentialed photogs out there in the 88 degree heat with their telephotos. The best I can do is link to this from 2006's show taken by some guy (please ignore the many random pictures of dudes, and also note the hardware was slightly different this year, with less heavy military presence).
****I found the one above on the LAFD Blog's Flickr site from this year's show****
This was the first time I've made the trek out to Hansen to see the show (I meant to go last year, but probably overslept and didn't feel like making the 45 minute schlep). Got out there around 11:30 a.m., and just parking in the lot brought back fond/painful memories of many hot summer days more than a decade ago at air shows in places like MCAS El Toro (deactivated), NAS Miramar (now a Marine Corps air base), Pt. Mugu NAS and out at Edwards AFB.
I trudged from my car past the hot dog/churros booth and past a ton of static displays that were part of the "CODE 3 Recruiting Fair". Lot's of helos on static display.
Highlights:
--LACoFD Copter 15 (video), one of the big bad-ass "Firehawks"--a converted Blackhawk.
--USCG HH-65 Dolphin helo out of USCG Air Station L.A. (based at LAX) and an HH-60 Jayhawk out of Sector San Diego.
--The FBI brought quite a presence to the show and career fair! The coolest helo on display was the Bureau's Bell JetRanger SWAT ops model. It's sick JetRanger with an all glass-cockpit in a gunmetal gray profile with a blue stripe. Based out of Pt. Mugu, it's the FBI's sole (allegedly) rotary-wing asset used for HRT, SWAT and (obviously) surveillance duty. There was nothing overtly cool about the bird, but it was so sleek and speedy looking that you know it totally kicks ass in the air.
This was the first time I've made the trek out to Hansen to see the show (I meant to go last year, but probably overslept and didn't feel like making the 45 minute schlep). Got out there around 11:30 a.m., and just parking in the lot brought back fond/painful memories of many hot summer days more than a decade ago at air shows in places like MCAS El Toro (deactivated), NAS Miramar (now a Marine Corps air base), Pt. Mugu NAS and out at Edwards AFB.
I trudged from my car past the hot dog/churros booth and past a ton of static displays that were part of the "CODE 3 Recruiting Fair". Lot's of helos on static display.
Highlights:
--LACoFD Copter 15 (video), one of the big bad-ass "Firehawks"--a converted Blackhawk.
--USCG HH-65 Dolphin helo out of USCG Air Station L.A. (based at LAX) and an HH-60 Jayhawk out of Sector San Diego.
--The FBI brought quite a presence to the show and career fair! The coolest helo on display was the Bureau's Bell JetRanger SWAT ops model. It's sick JetRanger with an all glass-cockpit in a gunmetal gray profile with a blue stripe. Based out of Pt. Mugu, it's the FBI's sole (allegedly) rotary-wing asset used for HRT, SWAT and (obviously) surveillance duty. There was nothing overtly cool about the bird, but it was so sleek and speedy looking that you know it totally kicks ass in the air.
Meantime, the FBI's static displays were pretty damn impressive, especially give how hard it is to get hired by the FBI (I, for instance, smoked a bit too much dope during my college years and slightly beyond to ever even bother applying for the august agency). Besides the bomb squad, dive team, evidence techs and SWAT team, the Feebies brought along their ridiculous one-year-old Mobile Command Center, which they keep down at the Federal Building in Westwood. Once inside, it's a mess of flat screen TVs, computers, printers and other gadgets...pretty goddamned cool.
All in all, a nice day of public safety porn.
photo: Chester Brown
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Something to Do
If you're in LA this weekend and looking to geek-out with the always killer combination of public safety and helicopters, then I recommend you visit the "American Heroes Air Show" way out in the Hansen Dam area of Lakeview Terrace out in the Valley. I'll be out there looking for some good T-shirts and gawking at the birds.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
I Always...
...miss the good stuff. Case in point: I was watching the Pitt/Clooney crew in a darkened movie theater while Santa Monica got their first Major Emergency Structure in recent memory around 7:30 last night! Usually I'm stuck in some restaurant while there's a good burner, in this case it was the cinema.
Would have been a good one to scan since it was the first big fire since the LAFD took over dispatch responsibilities for SMFD. Would have like to hear the integration in action. Next time.
Didn't even hear about it until this morning, and it's overshadowed by the terrible LODD's from the South Carolina fire.
Would have been a good one to scan since it was the first big fire since the LAFD took over dispatch responsibilities for SMFD. Would have like to hear the integration in action. Next time.
Didn't even hear about it until this morning, and it's overshadowed by the terrible LODD's from the South Carolina fire.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
TV Chase
It's often lamented in local news circles that there's nothing more sensationalistic than the fascination with the televised police pursuit. I, for one, love them. Especially when they go down just like they did on Friday night when the hovering news helos near Olympic and Robertson alerted me to the caper a little before midnight.
Turned on the news in time to see the LAPD pursuing a silver pickup truck just a few blocks from my house. Grabbed the scanner, muted the TV, and then it got about as realistic as possible--the helos provided the video and the LAPD Air Unit the audio!
Sort of anti-climactic, though. Suspect surrendered about 10 mins after I tuned in.
Turned on the news in time to see the LAPD pursuing a silver pickup truck just a few blocks from my house. Grabbed the scanner, muted the TV, and then it got about as realistic as possible--the helos provided the video and the LAPD Air Unit the audio!
Sort of anti-climactic, though. Suspect surrendered about 10 mins after I tuned in.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Code2High
So in the few years I've been sporadically posting this blog, I don't think I have actually ever explained the meaning of Code6Charles.
Simply put, it's the term broadcast on the radio by the LAPD when a unit has run a warrant check on an individual and that check comes back with a felony warrant. Instead of broadcasting to the officer that the suspect he or she is standing near is wanted for a serious crime, the dispatcher uses the term "Code6Charles" and then asks the officer if he's "Code 4," meaning is everything okay (i.e. is the suspect in custody and the situation is under control). Usually, the suspect is either already in handcuffs, or the warrant isn't for that particular individual--similar names often confuse the computer and it will issue a false positive for a warrant.
If the officer is not "Code 4" he can request additional units to help him or can then move to place the suspect in custody and still have the element of surprise if the suspect hasn't deciphered the meaning of Code6Charles.
Unlike most police agencies in the nation, the LAPD does not use the so-called "10-code" system made famous in many cheesy movies and CB radio references. They prefer a plain speak radio system with their own codes thrown in and the California penal code designations to indicate the type of crime (e.g. the infamous "187" rap stars love to bandy about in their songs, which is the penal code for murder).
Anyhoo, I stumbled along this slick site today www.code2high.com. Never saw it before, but it's clearly been around for awhile. Good blanket public safety information site for all of LA County. Hat tip to a guy named Todd Pompey who apparently runs the site.
Code2High is an LAPD term that has been relegated into the dust bin over the past few years.
When units respond to emergency calls with lights and sirens, they got "Code 3." When they go to non-emergent calls, they go "Code 2," with a sense of urgency, but no lights or sirens. Code2High was a middle ground the LAPD used to employ in days before Chief Bratton changed the scheme and now has all the LAPD coppers going Code 3 to all manner of calls. Code 2 High was basically Code 3 without the lights and sirens but lots of fast, dodgy driving.
Anyway, nice to see the old term "immortalized" on the Web.
Simply put, it's the term broadcast on the radio by the LAPD when a unit has run a warrant check on an individual and that check comes back with a felony warrant. Instead of broadcasting to the officer that the suspect he or she is standing near is wanted for a serious crime, the dispatcher uses the term "Code6Charles" and then asks the officer if he's "Code 4," meaning is everything okay (i.e. is the suspect in custody and the situation is under control). Usually, the suspect is either already in handcuffs, or the warrant isn't for that particular individual--similar names often confuse the computer and it will issue a false positive for a warrant.
If the officer is not "Code 4" he can request additional units to help him or can then move to place the suspect in custody and still have the element of surprise if the suspect hasn't deciphered the meaning of Code6Charles.
Unlike most police agencies in the nation, the LAPD does not use the so-called "10-code" system made famous in many cheesy movies and CB radio references. They prefer a plain speak radio system with their own codes thrown in and the California penal code designations to indicate the type of crime (e.g. the infamous "187" rap stars love to bandy about in their songs, which is the penal code for murder).
Anyhoo, I stumbled along this slick site today www.code2high.com. Never saw it before, but it's clearly been around for awhile. Good blanket public safety information site for all of LA County. Hat tip to a guy named Todd Pompey who apparently runs the site.
Code2High is an LAPD term that has been relegated into the dust bin over the past few years.
When units respond to emergency calls with lights and sirens, they got "Code 3." When they go to non-emergent calls, they go "Code 2," with a sense of urgency, but no lights or sirens. Code2High was a middle ground the LAPD used to employ in days before Chief Bratton changed the scheme and now has all the LAPD coppers going Code 3 to all manner of calls. Code 2 High was basically Code 3 without the lights and sirens but lots of fast, dodgy driving.
Anyway, nice to see the old term "immortalized" on the Web.
LASD and Ms. Hilton
Yes, they stupidly let her out early. But it was almost worth it to see her cuffed up and transported back Downtown courtesy of a nice Police Interceptor patrol car. Also, it's sorta hard to tell in this pic, but doesn't the female deputy riding shotgun look--as Paris would say--HOT?
Tidbits
Finally dialed up the old Bearcat in the last few days and heard some good bits:
--BHPD ran code 3 to a report of a woman standing in the middle of Beverwil Drive screaming for help at 1:30 a.m. About four patrol cars went screaming over to Beverwil X Olympic Boulevard to find no woman screaming, just some lady standing by a Jeep in the parking lot of a nearby gas station. No idea what happened to her or any other lady screaming in the middle of the Beverly Hills night.
--Next morning, heard BHFD go out on the infrequent traffic accident with entrapment up on North Rexford Drive. They actually had a trapped pt. and used Truck 4 for the extrication.
--LAFD had a good wee-hours physical rescue at Glendale Boulevard and Fletcher. Solo car wrapped itself around a telephone pole. Not a bad place to get into a gnarly crash since it's right in Heavy Rescue 56's first in.
Otherwise, there seem to be the usual smatterings of structure fires, T/A's and the usual LAPD riffraff capers.
Stay tuned.
Hat tip to Code2High.com for the photo.
--BHPD ran code 3 to a report of a woman standing in the middle of Beverwil Drive screaming for help at 1:30 a.m. About four patrol cars went screaming over to Beverwil X Olympic Boulevard to find no woman screaming, just some lady standing by a Jeep in the parking lot of a nearby gas station. No idea what happened to her or any other lady screaming in the middle of the Beverly Hills night.
--Next morning, heard BHFD go out on the infrequent traffic accident with entrapment up on North Rexford Drive. They actually had a trapped pt. and used Truck 4 for the extrication.
--LAFD had a good wee-hours physical rescue at Glendale Boulevard and Fletcher. Solo car wrapped itself around a telephone pole. Not a bad place to get into a gnarly crash since it's right in Heavy Rescue 56's first in.
Otherwise, there seem to be the usual smatterings of structure fires, T/A's and the usual LAPD riffraff capers.
Stay tuned.
Hat tip to Code2High.com for the photo.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Back in the Saddle...
...but haven't turned on the scanner yet. Been home for two days and just havent dialed it up. "June Gloom" is in full effect here these days. I'll probably start listening sometime this week and have some fresh posts then.
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