Station 1 of Beverly Hills Fire hosted LASA this month. LASA student Ilena summed up the day; “Well, I toured a fire station when I was in preschool, and I can only say that this experience was far more comprehensive and interesting! I was struck by the interdisciplinary and multifacetedness of the department. One usually thinks of firefighting as, well, fighting fire.
What the emergency dispatcher said about the fire department’s role as a public service dedicated to showing up and serving the community’s needs, from paramedical services and getting cats out of trees to just lending a listening ear, was really inspiring. It demonstrates just how much committed they are to making a genuine difference…”
Battalion Chief Michael Hand and B shift shared with us details of their day-to-day work, paths towards this career, how they interface with community for hardening and prevention as well as other fire departments. We heard from dispatch and rotated in groups to learn more about the engine, role of the incident command vehicle, paramedicine, and the physical spaces of the fire house. After sharing lunch together, LASA watched a demonstration complete with Station 1 crew members sliding down fire poles and into their protective clothing, coordinating response, and using the ladder from the truck to demonstrate an ascension to vent a roof.
Giuseppe shared, “I learned about the economics and funding behind fire departments, in particular the relationships between different cities and counties. I found it fascinating that Beverly Hills chooses to fund its own fire department, for example, when it could simply contract out with Los Angeles. I also found it fascinating that firefighters also respond to 911 health-related calls. Finally, I learned about the daily life of a firefighter while on the job.”
Brendan added, “Our trip to Beverly Hills Fire Station 1 opened my eyes to the multifaceted, rigorous, yet immensely rewarding nature of firefighting. Firefighters don’t just fight fires: in fact, ~70% of their work is medical in variety, while large structure fires are a ‘special treat.’…
One lingering question I have is why fire departments aren’t required to immediately enforce changes to the building code, as that would seem to resolve the regulatory delay/mismatch lamented by the Battalion Chief. As a young child, I idolized, dressed up as, and wanted to become a firefighter; watching the battalion scramble onto the roof of the station rekindled some of that lost wonder and gave me a new lens through which to consider career choices.”
Thank you to all at Station 1, Chief Barton, Battalion Chief Hand, and Dr. Jameson Karns for making the day unforgettable.