The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) placed four additional fire engines into service thanks for a new grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
LAFD received a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant from FEMA last fall for $15.4 million, the largest SAFER grant in the nation. At the time, the department stated it would hire an additional 48 firefighters as part of an additional recruit class in early 2018.
With so many additional firefighters, the department decided to add four fire engines to four fire stations across the city. The city purchased four Pierce Manufacturing engines. When in service, each engine is staffed with one captain, one engineer, and two firefighters.
“Thanks to the SAFER grant, we were able to add back fire engines at these four busy stations across Los Angeles,” said LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas in a statement.
According to MyNewsLA, staffing at the four stations was cut in 2011 in the aftermath of the Great Recession.
LAFD responds to more than 1,300 emergency calls every day, according to the department. It currently operates 106 neighborhood fire stations, two fire stations serving the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), one fire station and Air Operations base at the Van Nuys Airport, and four fireboat stations serving the Port of Los Angeles.
L.A. has received a new $15 M @FEMA grant, the largest of its kind in America, so we can add:
— Mayor Eric Garcetti (@MayorOfLA) July 18, 2018
4 brand new engines 🚒 + 48 new firefighters 👩🚒👨🚒 to the ranks of @LAFD!
They will be deployed to Echo Park, Lincoln Heights, Reseda and Mission Hills. pic.twitter.com/tXXUGk9ovE
0 Comments
See all comments