A Guide to the LAFD and assisting agencies....

[Pearl71]

Engineers, are Firefighters, just with the training and knoledge of driving the app. and operation of every peice of equipment on the app.. its normally a higher rank, and high pay grade.

Mike, i have a question. no doubt that they run the Federal Q2b's, but i was reading a while back that they ran Code 3 Screaming Eagle Mechanical Sirens?. are they going back to the old Faithful Q2B, or? just curious to what they really run. Code 3 used to have it posted that all the LA rigs ran their Screaming Eagle.

Also to those of you that ask what a Screaming Eagle is. Its' just like the Federal Q2B, just smaller, and more High Pitched.

i correct myself, They are Now Produced by Electro-Mechanical Siren Co.

Link to more Info:

http://eaglesiren.com/

they have a video and audio on their site.... new siren maybe?

[MikesPhotos]

Thanks for clearing that up Mike. Its interesting to know. I never realized there was such a standard.

The rules and regulations governing the fire service and its standard operating procedures are vast beyond the common knowledge of the general public at large. From NFPA "guidelines" to Fed and State OSHA Requirements, state regulations and dept SOP's, everything is a lot more then it truly seems and every action, while seemingly strange to outsiders, is done with safety and the best interest of the general public in mind. From two in/two out, the size and color of striping on the sides of ambulances, regulations regarding lighting (KKK and NFPA), nothing is just done willy nilly!

so the fire truck driver is not a firefighter?? i thought a firefighter drove truck there with lights and stuff and then helped put out the fire? is this not the case?

As answered, all ratings and rankings will be explained later. This is not as simple as the answers posted make it out to be

Mike does LA require a CDL to drive the major apertures(engines,quints,etc,obviously any one can drive something like the HES).?

California has a special classification of a Restricted Class A or Class B Fire Fighter License that an apparatus operator must obtain before being able to operate any vehicle over 26,000 lbs and 3 axles.

oh ! 630 pages for your flickr Gallery^^

i'll take a day to look all ^^

This Is very nice photos

emergency-fan

Thanks! And hahaha, don't forget that I only have 11k pics on the flickr site, there are over 18,249 on the main site, and another 30+k on the old site.

I know, but it's not listed on the up and coming.. Oh well.

Good work Mike for everything else though! Looks like you put a lot of effort into it.

Only the LAFD is listed right now, none of the assisting agencies are. Eventually it should include AT LEAST the following:

# LAFD LACoPD  CDF/CALFIRE

# LAPD  LASD  CHP

# LAWA PD  LACoFD  State Parks

# Port of LA  Coroner  Fish & Game

# LAUSD PD  EMSA  OES/CALEMA

# LA GSD Police  Animal Care and Control

# City Lifeguards  County Lifeguards

# DWP CalTrans

# DOT

# Parking & Traffic Enforcement

# OPG

# Parks & Rec

# USFS

Mike, i have a question. no doubt that they run the Federal Q2b's, but i was reading a while back that they ran Code 3 Screaming Eagle Mechanical Sirens?. are they going back to the old Faithful Q2B, or? just curious to what they really run. Code 3 used to have it posted that all the LA rigs ran their Screaming Eagle.

i correct myself, They are Now Produced by Electro-Mechanical Siren Co.

Code 3 never manufactured them, but because they didn't have a product of their own, they offered the Screaming Eagle as part of their NFPA packages. I wish i knew where you read what you did so I could see it for myself, but suffice to say, the fact is that the LAFD has *NEVER* used the screaming eagle product. For a very short while they utilized a mix of FedSig Q2B's and Timberwolves, but the Timberwolves were dropped in favor of EQ2B's and Q2Bs since at least the 2006 purchases.

----

Finished the Reserve apparatus section as well as added a brief blurb on the LAFD

[Xplorer4x4]

Thanks for the CDL clarification Mike. I'm not sure of the restrictions for the inner city departments, but I asked a firefighter at one of the volly stations across town and he said he wasnt sure how it worked but they were not required to have a CDL. There main engine only has 2 axles while the reserve is an old school(newly refurbished and looking quite good with out a yellow paint job) 1981 Duplex/Oshkosh/Pierce Pumper/Tanker - 1250gpm/2000gal but it does have 3 axels but perhaps it manages to stay under the weight limit?

[MikesPhotos]

Thanks for the CDL clarification Mike. I'm not sure of the restrictions for the inner city departments, but I asked a firefighter at one of the volly stations across town and he said he wasnt sure how it worked but they were not required to have a CDL. There main engine only has 2 axles while the reserve is an old school(newly refurbished and looking quite good with out a yellow paint job) 1981 Duplex/Oshkosh/Pierce Pumper/Tanker - 1250gpm/2000gal but it does have 3 axels but perhaps it manages to stay under the weight limit?

Its a state regulation and some states don't require it, but its based on either axle OR gross vehicle weight here in California. It all depends on your states legislature and the agreements they have.

One thing to note.... and I know I'm opening up a can of worms here, but I just love little trivia like this....

The tillerman (man who rides in back and steers) is NOT considered a driver by law! He does not need a CDL and if, by his error, an accident occurs, it is the driver of the vehicle who will be cited and responsible. This is why there has to be a lot of trust and communications between the two positions.

[FireLt640]

this is very good Mikey, you are doing a very good job. keep it up!!

so the fire truck driver is not a firefighter?? i thought a firefighter drove truck there with lights and stuff and then helped put out the fire? is this not the case?

The driver of a firetruck is called an Engineer. Other than driving the fire truck to and from the fire, he is also responsible for operating the unit's fire pump duing fireground evolutions, among other things.

[Xplorer4x4]

^unless there are other engines on scene and there pumps arent run on that rig. In which case they engineer may fight the fire as well.

@mike, does it require alot of extra training to be a tillerman?

[MikesPhotos]

^unless there are other engines on scene and there pumps arent run on that rig. In which case they engineer may fight the fire as well.

@mike, does it require alot of extra training to be a tillerman?

Will be answered in the truck section

[jab16]

So do they run lights and sirens n every call? or only in special cases (lapd,lafd,ect)

[MikesPhotos]

So do they run lights and sirens n every call? or only in special cases (lapd,lafd,ect)

For LAFD, almost 99% of calls are an emergency response for at least the first unit. Example, Sick patient might have the closest available unit (Engine or Light Force) respond C3 to get on scene, verify the status of the patient is non-critcal, and the RA will respond non-emergency unless directed to change to C3. Additional units may be requested emergency or nonemergency depending on traffic and need.

For LAPD, they got rid of the Code-2 High calls, now its either Code 3 (lights and sirens) or Code 2, routine response. When they did that they went from 500 C3 calls to over 2500 per month in the Valley alone, 5 times as many calls.

[Xplorer4x4]

So the RA heads to the scene but doesnt go C3 until the fire department gives the ok?

[Spaloo]

So the RA heads to the scene but doesnt go C3 until the fire department gives the ok?

You're thinking of Orange County

Again, Mike, correct me if I'm wrong, but LAFD uses ProQA tiered dispatching. The information given by the caller dictates what resources respond, and whether they respond emergency or not. For example, a cardiac arrest will have all the resources respond emergency, whereas a fall might have the closest resource respond emergency and the transporting unit respond routine (non-emergency). That is just an example...I don't know how LAFD categorizes falls

[MikesPhotos]

So the RA heads to the scene but doesnt go C3 until the fire department gives the ok?

Not exactly. Actual responses will be detailed later.

You're thinking of Orange County

Heh, OC is a peculiar animal in and of itself, especially in regards to private ambulance contracts.

You know, I wrestled with it for a long time and eventually erased it, but one line I was going to throw out there was directly related to the OC departments: 'In some neighboring jurisdictions, departments have a long held policy that if you do not need them Code 3, then you must not need them at all"

Again, Mike, correct me if I'm wrong, but LAFD uses ProQA tiered dispatching. The information given by the caller dictates what resources respond, and whether they respond emergency or not. For example, a cardiac arrest will have all the resources respond emergency, whereas a fall might have the closest resource respond emergency and the transporting unit respond routine (non-emergency). That is just an example...I don't know how LAFD categorizes falls

LAFD does use a Medically Prioritized Dispatch System with 33 incident types, 6 determinants, and nine EMS Algorithm types. I'm not sure if it is ProQA or still card based, but it is very similar. I'll give a VERY VERY brief explanation later of call responses and types, since there is no way in hell I'll ever be able to condense what is an 8hr multiple day class into anything but just a surface glance.

[Ami89E1234]

@mike, does it require alot of extra training to be a tillerman?

well you have to steer in the opposite direction the driver is turning so the back doesnt swing out and hit someone(thing) lol

[novius]

well you have to steer in the opposite direction the driver is turning so the back doesnt swing out and hit someone(thing) lol

There's a lot more to tillering than opposing the driver, Ami. The point of the tiller is to fit a long enough ladder down congested and narrow roads that are in between numerous high-rises. With a tiller's rear steering, they can adjust the turn radius as needed to navigate the road condition. Turning the wheels of the tiller outside of the turn actually swings the trailer out more quickly, usually making the turn occur entirely in the intersection, not in the lanes beforehand, as to avoid hitting cars. The Tillerman would also turn with the Engineer during a lane change, so it's done quickly and smoothly. If it weren't for the ability to slalom traffic like this, running a tiller without rear steering would be as difficult as driving a semi in rush hour. If you want a semi at an emergency as fast as possible, you'd have better luck with hand ladders and duct tape.

I hope you don't think I was flaming you, just trying to help Mike out a little bit.

[billyfromhill]

Will we be seeing an update soon? This guide is indispensable and I would hate to see it fall by the wayside seeing as it is such a good resource.

[MikesPhotos]

Will we be seeing an update soon? This guide is indispensable and I would hate to see it fall by the wayside seeing as it is such a good resource.

To use a famous quote from MikeyPI and Hoppah: It is updated when it is updated.

I appreciate the fact that many people are finding it useful, but it is a very very low priority for me. The Task Force section may be completed within the next two weeks, but I honestly don't plan on working on it at all this week or weeknd.

[LACityFFengineCo287]

I never heard the plans for engine co 43, i heard it was gonna be auctioned off.

[MikesPhotos]

Updated with Truck, Light Force, and Task force concept

[billyfromhill]

Updated with Truck, Light Force, and Task force concept

Thanks a lot.

[Xplorer4x4]

Welcome back Mike! Hope all has been well for you!

[randomperson139]

back Mike.

Thanks for the update.

[MikesPhotos]

Rescue ambulances are complete which gives you a good understanding of the basic elements of the department and the EMS system. Also added were a few videos I had floating around and a comment on the Task Force brush boxes on some engines.

Also since I read some AMAZINGLY inaccurate information on some posts, I have also completed the Private EMS section which should hopefully give you a good understanding of the role of private care providers within the city of Los Angeles (summary: there is none!) and County of Los Angeles.

[Forensics]

Thanks for the update Mike. It's very interesting

Thanks for taking your time to write it.

[MikesPhotos]

Thanks a lot.

back Mike.

Thanks for the update.

Thanks for the update Mike. It's very interesting

Thanks for taking your time to write it.

You're all very welcome. I just can't stand the amount of misinformation and blatant false information that happens on this board, and hopefully this will help everyone to better understand why things in the game are the way they are, and how to utilize all of the tools included.

[Xplorer4x4]

Well looks like one or two of my assumptions were wrong so thank for clearing that up.

After reading I still have one unanswered question and one new question:

New:

There is no reason to have an ALS ambulance transport a patient that has been treated by a Paramedic Assessment Engine! The patient is already being worked on and can wait the little bit for an 800 to arrive on scene and transport.

Does this apply IRL or simply game play? I actually do use this method in game play some times but it seemed unrealistic. In such a case would a Medic then ride in the BLS and the Engine follow to the hospital?

Now I still have one question remaining: with ALS Buses and ALS Engines usually stored in the same station, whats the dispatch policy? My apologies if I some how missed this.