It was posted four months ago, but this video of Los Angeles Battalion 5 responding to a major emergency structure fire is great. The fire occured August 29, 2006.
The video comes from LAFD027′s YouTube broadcast channel. Started this summer as an outreach of the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society and Educational Institution, they are posting classic LAFD films. There are YouTube versions of the 1949 Your Fire Department and the 1988 Interstate Bank Fire.
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If you have ever worked with a detailed or overtime driver, you will appreciate the interactions between the chief and the aide while they are responding to the incident. I love the euro-style horn that sounds when the suburban approaches an intersection.
Why do they turn off the siren/lights when they get on the Interstate?
Note the interplay when the buggy’s phone starts to ring as they approach an intersection near the incident (at 6:35). The suburban jerks as the firefighter looks for the phone, the chief admonishes ”… worry about driving!”
RADIO REALITY
Light Force 60 reports fire is extending to another building and requests four more task forces. Still responding, Battalion 5 calls for 3 engines and a helicopter, based on the “size of loom up and (radio) traffic”…(at 2:54) …. and dispatch does not pick up the request until later (at 4:50)
TWITTERing REALITY
In a related follow-up, Firegeezer posted Twitter messages from Mike 2drinksbehind Wilson, a passenger on Continental 1404 that crashed in Denver this weekend. (HERE). I also pointed out that it was Twitter, bloggers and social networks that provided the first reports of the attack in Mumbai.
LAFD is also using Twitter as a way to communicate (HERE). At an major emergency brush fire incident earlier this year, the Public Information Office was soliciting citizen Twitter reports from the far side of a rapidly changing incident. That Internet Intelligence Officer position still appears viable for major emergency operations (HERE).
Mike
FossilMedic
