| California wildfires again riveted the nation's attention | | | | initial complement of four fire stations serving 50,000 |
| during a roughly two-week period beginning in | | | | residents to rank among the nation's biggest fire |
| mid-October 2007. Overall responsibility for California's | | | | departments. Today, more than 3,600 uniformed |
| efforts to prevent and fight wildfires is in the hands of | | | | firefighters man over 100 fire stations throughout |
| CAL FIRE, the California Department of Forestry and | | | | metropolitan Los Angeles, where more than four million |
| Fire Protection. However, a number of local counties, | | | | residents rely on the LAFD for a wide range of fire |
| ranging from Marin, Kern and Santa Barbara to | | | | prevention and firefighting services. The Department |
| Ventura, Orange and Los Angeles County, are paid by | | | | also provides EMC services, hazmat mitigation and |
| CAL FIRE to provide wildfire services nominally | | | | disaster response services. |
| considered the State's responsibility. | | | | An important but often overlooked part of the the |
| While most of the damage caused by the October | | | | force comprises the five fire boats that protect the |
| 2007 wildfires was in San Diego County, firefighters | | | | Port of Los Angeles. Perched on the shores of San |
| from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) | | | | Pedro Bay, about thirty kilometers due south of |
| nevertheless responded to several wildfires in Los | | | | downtown Los Angeles, the Port of Los Angeles is |
| Angeles County. According to the LAFD website, | | | | the busiest container port in the United States with a |
| firefighters from the city's fire department rolled out to | | | | container volume of 7.4 million TEUs in 2004, the last |
| both the so-called Buckweed Fire near Agua Dulce, | | | | year for which figures of this kind are available. More |
| about twelve miles north of Los Angeles, and the | | | | than one million cruise ship passengers annually also |
| so-called Canyon Fire, a brush fire about eight miles | | | | pass through the Port, which is by far the West |
| west of Los Angeles near Malibu, California. Overall, | | | | Coast's largest cruise ship facility. |
| the LAFD deployed five Strike Teams comprising | | | | Five fire boats guard the Port of Los Angeles from |
| some 150 firefighters during the October wildfire crisis. | | | | fires that have the potential to be just as devastating |
| The Los Angeles Fire Department is considered | | | | as the California wildfires of 2007. The newest of |
| well-equipped to serve the fire-prevention and | | | | these, the Warner Lawrence, is a 105-foot |
| fire-fighting needs of America's second biggest city. | | | | powerhouse capable of pumping 38,000 gallons of |
| Launched formally in 1886 as a paid firefighting service | | | | water per minute at heights of up to 400 feet. The |
| amalgamated from several volunteer services first | | | | Warner Lawrence replaced the LAFD's oldest fire |
| formed in the 1870s, the LAFD has grown from its | | | | boat, the 78-year-old Ralph J. Scott, in April 2003. |