LAFD to Reorganize Divisional Geographic Boundaries

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LAflyer

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New fire chief, new organizational structure....

This idea was borne out of a recommendation from city audit that suggested the department be aligned close to LAPD geographical bureaus versus simply current North & South divisions.


L.A. FIRE CHIEF OUTLINES MAJOR REORGANIZATION PLAN

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

In a key message delivered to the men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas has outlined his formal plans to reorganize the Department's emergency services.

In January 2015, the LAFD will begin a major reorganization of the Department’s Emergency Services Bureau, creating four distinct geographic bureaus, each with a Deputy Chief reporting directly to the LAFD Chief Deputy of Emergency Operations. The objective of this landmark reorganization is for each Bureau Commander and their staff to “own” all issues within their geographic area, establishing a more effective business model than has been possible through the traditional platoon duty system.

The four bureaus, Central (at Fire Station 3 near the Civic Center), South (at the San Pedro City Hall complex), Valley (at Fire Station 88 in Sherman Oaks) and West (at Fire Station 82 in Hollywood), will bring the Department more in line with the established organizational model now in use by the Los Angeles Police Department. Similar to the LAPD, the new four bureau system will make the LAFD more effective and responsive to the needs of those it proudly serves.

Each bureau will be commanded by a Deputy Chief. This Bureau Commander and their staff will maintain normal business hours and be held accountable for all LAFD operations taking place in their bureau.


L.A. Fire Chief Outlines Major Reorganization Plan | Los Angeles Fire Department

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Lets see how this effects radio listening.
 

SCPD

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If anyone finds a map of the boundaries of the new alignment please post a link as soon as you can.

Interesting that the LAFD had 3 divisions with a division chief at each. I'm not sure if the division chiefs were assistant chiefs. The 3 divisions were Valley, Metro and west or south (I don't recall). A round of budget cuts reduced this to 2. Now, there will be 4 bureaus, each with a assistant chief. That seems more expensive. Will there how be 4 division chiefs or will the bureau assistant chiefs fulfill that role?

Possible changes as far as listening to their radio system would be: possibly tac channels assigned on a bureau basis like the LAPD and assistant chiefs taking the IC role for major incidents. That is just my guess. I think most of the changes will be in the background.
 

JT-112

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Here's a link to the PDF... http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1033917/lafd-resources-study.pdf

They didn't pull any punches on this report - I have seen similar reports for other major city FDs and they wind up having a "s*** sandwich" approach to them (my censoring, but that's the term).

Basically, they'll say "The XYZ FD is so brave and committed, they work so hard, here are a few things that need attention, but remember how brave and dedicated these folks are..." Basically two pieces of bread around... well you get the idea.

Unfortunately, people will focus on what they think reflects on them best, so the message of what needs to be changed gets diluted to a huge extent and things don't get changed.

Not here, these guys got right to the point and didn't mess around much at all.
 

Eng74

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How many different reports have come out about LAFD saying they should use civilian dispatchers? I don't think they will shift to all assessment engines and 1+1 ALS ambulance.
 

SCPD

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The report indicates that creating the four bureaus will cost more, about.$4.3 million, than the existing 2 division organization does. However, this is offset by the proposed $12 million saved by converting many positions from sworn fire to civilian employees. An interesting proposal. I assume that one reason the department has used sworn personnel as much as they have is that they understand what it is like to be on the ground as a firefighter. That has some benefits and liabilities (not in the legal sense).

It is sad to read that the disciplinary process is broken. This can result in poor morale and mistrust by the rank and file.

A discussion of private contracting for EMS in various forms from non-emergency transports to all EMS services is included. I'm originally from the Westchester/Playa del Rey area (left in 1973 for the final time) and in the last years of my mother's life she had to be transported to Kaiser Cadillac non-emergency 4 times. I was there for two of those. I was comforted by seeing a LAFD rig pull up to the house. Their service was outstanding as the EMT's were so patient and thoughtful. They really understood the emotional aspects of the situation. I would have been concerned with getting the lowest paid, least trained personnel in an industry with high turnover showing up at the door.

This non-contracting approach is not unique to the fire department within the city of L.A.. My opinion on contracting government services is based on my time with the U.S. Forest Service. Contracting resulted in less flexibility as everything had to be listed in a schedule of quantities and time periods that only allowed 10-20% variability, otherwise the contract had to be renegotiated. The dynamics of some of the work could vary 50-75% due to weather and changing priorities. A contracting officer's representative (COR) and contract inspectors had to keep track of performance with some items that could only be verified in writing such as training. Contractors often presented nickle and dime non-compliance requiring a lot of time by the government employees to be on site much of the time and documenting everything in writing. Enforcement was frustrating and often ineffective. There was more motivation to make as much money as possible rather than providing the best service. Complaints from the public were hard to resolve as the "he said, they said" dynamic was always a factor.

There was also the factor of losing expertise in many areas where contractors took over. COR's and inspectors often did not possess the expertise to properly administer a contract.

If we had done these things ourselves the paperwork was reduced by 95%, money spent on compliance personnel could be used on the project itself, we could change the schedule as needed to meet the dynamics of the conditions on the ground, change priorities based on new situations that presented themselves and we had sufficient people to staff fire crews, temporary construction crews and the like. My time supervising work was a fraction of what it took for me to write contracts, attend meetings, analyze bids, interface with COR's and inspectors who often did not followup on my concerns for a host of reasons. This reduced my time in the field causing me to be less aware of the on the ground, and not paperwork, realities. The costs for COR's and inspectors were not included in the cost of contracting or the administrative personnel needed to process the paperwork. When I was able to use government employees most of them were interested in a career in natural resources and had an interest and dedication to the mission of the agencies involved. Supervision was easier, didn't involve excessive amounts of paperwork, they could be shifted to other work easily and had feedback about the work without having to be in the area on a frequent basis. Many were in school studying natural resource management and/or the interest in the subject. Their observations were often quite helpful.

I also had ready made fire crews that I could assemble. These crews were used when full time fire people needed to be supplemented. I also had people available for traffic control for large incidents. I could get other odds and ends such as sign rehabilitation done if another job took less time than expected. None of this is reflected in financial analysis at all, resulting in less than accurate comparisons between contracting and in house work. The experience and observations of field level employees were rarely considered by the desk jockeys in management and nearly ubiquitous with politicians. The effects of losing in house employees was something that became apparent to field level supervisors not long after contractors were brought in.

Another factor that was involved at least half the time was that ripping off the government was acceptable and expected in the minds of contractors. Often increased profits were not the motivation, playing ego games were.

I had a saying that contracting out a service resulted in "half the job for twice the price."

I don't know if my experiences are relevant to a municipal fire department, but I'm always suspicious and concerned when I hear of proposals to contract for government services.
 

LAflyer

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LA City put out a press release stating the LAFD realignment process was commencing this month.

Anyone have any insight in regards to potential changes in channel assignments to go along with the new division structure?
 

Mikerh91

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LA City put out a press release stating the LAFD realignment process was commencing this month.

Anyone have any insight in regards to potential changes in channel assignments to go along with the new division structure?

At this time there will be no changes to the LAFD channel plan. Only administrative.
 

LosAngelesFireDept

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LAFD New Command Staff Radio Identifiers and Bureau Map...

I posted some information on new radio identifiers in a new thread. Since I spend little time here, and mostly reply, my "new thread" is presently under moderators review. It will hopefully appear in a couple of days.

Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,

Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
 

burner50

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I posted some information on new radio identifiers in a new thread. Since I spend little time here, and mostly reply, my "new thread" is presently under moderators review. It will hopefully appear in a couple of days.

Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,

Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department

It's up now.
 

BigEvil

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Speaking of the FS82 Annex, what exactly is that? Seems like a place to park reserve rigs. Drive past it every day, and it doesn't even appear finished.


"Work has commenced to transform the old firehouse into a community center. The Fire Station 82 Annex will house a multi-purpose room as well as additional storage for the department. It’s slated to be completed by spring 2013, according to information from the city’s Bureau of Engineering.
Officials will apply for a Historic-Cultural Monument designation, limiting the work that can be done. However, contractors will complete some interior remodeling and seismically-retrofit the two-story building. A portion of the restrooms will be renovated, and the old firehouse will get new roofing and windows."

New Fire Station Serves the Heart of Hollywood | Park Labrea News/ Beverly Press
 

SCPD

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I posted some information on new radio identifiers in a new thread. Since I spend little time here, and mostly reply, my "new thread" is presently under moderators review. It will hopefully appear in a couple of days.

Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,

Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department

Thank you for providing excellent information over the years, both as a member and now officially. The access to information of station and battalion locations, the organization structure, apparatus and radio channels in the way the LAFD does is not the norm for fire department websites. The maps are particularly helpful. All of the provided information is excellent and makes listening to the LAFD that much more interesting. I think those of us who listen to the LAFD can't help but become a supporter of it. I don't know if this is the reason you provide the information you do, but it is occurring.

I grew up in Battalion 4, near a few miles from Station 5. I remember taking more than one tour of the station as a field trip in elementary school and on what I remember as "Public Safety Days" or similar. I remember listening to the department on low band as apparatus called "Coldwater."

I was living in New Mexico during the solar maximum of 1980 and picked up the department nightly. I knew an engineer on the department and heard what sounded like his voice and from Engine 66. I saw him some months later when I was in L.A. for Christmas. He told me he had made a call to dispatch on that night.

When I visited L.A. I spend a lot of time listening to the LAFD as my interest in police radio traffic has declined over the years. My 25 year career with the Forest Service where I was assigned to 108 wildland fires and a stint on a volunteer fire department as a firefighter and EMT is still with me and I love to hear fire department radio traffic.

Low band is a thing of the past, skip is no longer available, but now we have links to listen to the LAFD. Again, the information the department provides adds to the experience of listening to the department.

A pat on the back for you Brian! I hope you can continue for many years to come.
 
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