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January 01, 2006
January Losses
As we begin the new year, thoughts of progress, advancement and renewal fill our minds. The coming year is always filled with new opportunities and the chance to "have a better year." Often, in our haste to leave the previous year behind, we miss out on the opportunity to learn from the past - and such education is often important to our options for success in the future.
The Los Angeles Fire Department works diligently to learn from its history. Many of the tactics, techniques, and policies in place today are the result of fire fighting and rescue incidents in days, months, and years past. And sometimes, those incidents have had a dramatic emotional impact on the department, including on occasion, the loss of a department member while serving in the line of duty. Let's remember those who gave their lives, so that others might live - not only as a result of the incident they were involved in, but as a result of the actions taken following and the lessons learned. Have a safe and prosperous 2006.
The following represents firefighters who lost their lives during the month of January:
Captain Harry B. Stires
Engine Company 11
Died January 09, 1934
Inspector Robert L. Gillies, Jr.
Mountain Patrol
Died January 14, 1962
Apparatus Operator Thomas G. Taylor
Truck Company 60
Died January 28, 1981
Captain II Raymond Peterman
Light Force 28
Died January 17, 2004
In addition to those individuals listed above, a number of firefighters died in January months past due to non-incident related causes and we remember them here: Jay D. Hall, William W. Tebbets, William A. Cox, Stanley L. Pringle, John E. Cochrane, Charles A. Crosby, Carl N. Carter, Leroy W. Pollard, Nick Uruburu, Raymond B. Cato, Donald E. Thompson, David R. Brouillette.
To learn more about these individuals, their lives and the last alarm they responded to, you may purchase a copy of The Los Angeles Fire Department Memorial Book. It is available at the bookstore at the museum and a portion of the proceeds will be used to complete construction of the LAFD Memorial. We also invite you to visit the Fallen Firefighter Memorial, now available to be viewed as it enters the final phases of construction - in front of Old Fire Station 27 in Hollywood, just south of Sunset Blvd. Old Fire Station 27 is also one of our two museums and may be visited on any Saturday from 10AM until 4PM. Additional information is available here within the website.
Posted by dbarrett at January 1, 2006 01:22 AM