Every morning, at approximately 5AM, the smell of coffee starts to fill the apparatus floors and kitchens in 103 fire stations across Los Angeles and in the basement of City Hall East (OCD - fire dispatch and Public Service). The quiet voices of firefighters and sounds of doors closing, showers, and other morning activity can be heard.
Unlike any other profession, these are the sounds of the daily shift changes at the Los Angeles Fire Department. Every morning, one of three platoons of firefighters arrive at work, to relieve those who have been on duty for the previous 24 hours. It is a routine that does not change, no matter the day, the time of year, or the weather.
Firefighters, unlike nearly any other profession, live together 24 hours at a time. It is an aspect of the job that makes it unique and unless you’ve spent a few shifts working and living with firefighters, it’s not easy to understand the bond and trust that exists between these individuals.
Firefighters must trust each other in life threatening situations
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As company commanders arrive, they are briefed by their counterparts, and journals are reviewed. Emergency runs are written in red ink and in the case of important incidents that occurred for the outgoing shift, updates are provided to the incoming crews. By 6:00AM, the majority of the shift change is complete. By 8:00AM, the crews are assembled for their daily “lineup” to learn of their assignments and objectives for the coming 24 hours.
Many fire stations are busy places. In fact, Los Angeles has the busiest fire station in the country - Task Force 9 on Skid Row in downtown L.A, which responds to more than 900 runs a month or on average, 29 per day. The city overall responds to more than 1,000 calls per day, including fires, rescues, and emergency medical services.
The early morning hours are often the only time a firefighter can rest. The city is typically calmer then, and runs are more infrequent and are often EMS-related. To allow firefighters their sleep, paramedics are awakened by a “fire phone” that rings near their beds, rather than the typical long ring and “lights on” that activates most fire companies.
And so it was, in the early morning hours of December 4th, 1984. The city was fairly quiet. Around 4:45AM, L.A. Airport Police Officers Joe Ransfer and Robert Lopez were on patrol around the LAX area. The night was coming to its conclusion and the sky was less than an hour from the light of day. As they drove down South Aviation Boulevard, they noticed an orange glow of light. Looking to the east side of the street, they were surprised to see flames reaching for the early morning sky, piercing through the roof of a well known area restaurant, the Proud Bird. The two officers radioed in their report of fire in at 4:53AM.
Less than one minute later, OCD issued a structure fire assignment. The long ring came in at Task Forces 95 and 5, Engine 80 and Battalion 4. As Battalion Chief Kenneth Brass arrived on scene, it was clear the 130 foot by 175 foot ballroom was heavily involved with fire. The Chief’s size-up of the fire scene resulted in additional assignment of 23 fire companies and chief officers, including Assistant Chief Dave Parsons and Deputy Chief Don Anthony.
Unknown to firefighters at the time, the Proud Bird fire had been intentionally set to cover up a burglary. The fire had been active for several hours before it was detected. Worse, the Proud Bird was positioned directly under the flight path for LAX, and extensive work had been done to reduce noise in the restaurant, resulting in a labyrinth of difficult spaces to access and creating a dangerous fuel-rich environment for fire.
Flames shoot from the Proud Bird Restaurant
Fire companies executed an aggressive assault on the fire, with Truck companies working to open the structure, both via doorways and the roof, although roof ventilation was extremely difficult, due to the sound-proofing construction in place. As a result, the heat within the Proud Bird was intense and continued to increase.
Around 5:30AM, Engine 54 was working to advance a hose line into the ballroom. Captain Jim DiGrado and his crew, Walter Barnett and Benjamin Pinel were advancing their inch and a half line, while another Captain, Charles Mackie cleared furniture. The heat made it difficult to breath, even with SCBAs and the smoke that was unable to vent billowing down to the ground, obscuring visibility.
Suddenly, a flash-over fire-balled across the ceiling of the ballroom. The fire attack companies retreated from the building. Even in those few seconds, they became sickened by smoke and heat and once outside, paused to evaluate their situation. It was only then that they realized one of their members, Benjamin Pinel, was not with them. Pinel was still in the violently burning building.
A number of firefighters began an urgent search and rescue mission to find Pinel, among them, Johnny Garcia of Truck 64. Garcia followed the hose line that lay on the ground. It was hot and he couldn’t see more than a few feet. He was crawling on the floor to stay under the smoke and high temperature - and in the distance, he could hear the warning ringing of a firefighter’s PAL device, but couldn’t tell exactly where it was coming from.
When he was about three quarters of the way towards the hose line nozzle, Garcia realized he was alone. The other firefighters who had entered the building with him were nowhere to be seen. Following the hose line, he backed out of the building. His air was nearly gone and he didn’t know why the other firefighters had retreated, so his training compelled him to get out and evaluate himself.
Once he realized he was okay, he asked for another air bottle, and had to wait while the one on his back was hosed off, as it was too hot to touch, even with gloves. With a new bottle, Garcia again entered the building to find his fellow firefighter. This time, he made it to the nozzle and tried to listen for Pinel’s PAL device. Although he could hear the saws on the roof and the other activities of fire fighting, there was no sound from Pinel.
Garcia repeated this process three times. He nearly passed out twice. He got caught on furniture and was nearly trapped. And again, he was forced to retreat for fresh air. On his fourth attempt, Garcia began to lose his orientation. His head was heavy and his vision blurred. He began to feel confused and again following his training, tried to crawl to the exit - but this time, he came to being pulled from the building by other firefighters. Worn out, Garcia sat on the curb with oxygen, dismayed that Pinel had not been found.
A few minutes later, Garcia watched as Pinel was brought from the building and placed on a gurney, while firefighters performed CPR. The Rescue Ambulance took off for Centinela Hospital, where Pinel was pronounced dead at 6:30AM. Pinel had been found approximately 75 feet from the end of the nozzle, apparently disoriented when the flash-over occurred. For all members of the LAFD, his sacrifice 22 years ago this December 4th, has never been forgotten.
Mike (left) and Benjamin (right) Pinel at Ben's Tower Graduation
Garcia’s training no doubt saved his life. He was awarded the Medal of Value for his attempts to rescue Pinel. The physically demanding process of making your way through the tower as a rookie is intended to ensure that anyone who pins on the badge and takes the oath can uphold that oath, not just at graduation, but for years, perhaps decades to follow. The LAFD trains continually, and there is little time for recreation. When an opportunity does present itself, the activities are competitive and peer-bonding - as trust and teamwork are critical to the job.
Each firefighter in every station must rely on their fellow firefighters, regardless of background, race, or sex, to be there for not only the community, but for themselves in times of need. The everyday events in managing emergencies can become routine, but the life-threatening and sudden events that take place in a major emergency require complete trust in those about you. Every firefighter must be ready to give up their life to save another - and at the same time, be prepared to assist another firefighter who is down.
The Proud Bird fire is an important example of firefighters doing whatever it takes to save lives and property. The loss of Benjamin Pinel was a a tragedy not only for his family and the department, but for the city as a whole. At the same time, the lessons learned from this fire, and from every major emergency, are what make the LAFD so unique in terms of operations and life safety.
Today, you can see firefighter Pinel’s name on the memorial wall at the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Hollywood. Firefighter Garcia is still on the job and there are retired and active department members at the museum, just next to the memorial, who can explain more about how this department works to protect every citizen and every building, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. And every firefighter knows that each day, as he or she arrives for work around 5:30AM, that this could be their Proud Bird day.
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Founder William Rolland was a firefighter for the city of Los Angeles for 17 years. During January 1969, the city faced one of the worst rain and flood emergencies in its history. On the 25th of the month, Rolland was with an LAFD crew that responded to a physical rescue assignment in the canyons of West Los Angeles. While working to free a trapped resident, another surge of mud flowed onto the structure, burying both the victim and the rescuer. Other firefighters worked to reach them, now beneath more than three feet of mud. As Rolland lost consciousness, he maintained his grip on the victim. Other firefighters managed to get an air hose into Rolland’s mouth and he began to breath again. Both individuals were eventually pulled from the mud and debris and rushed to the hospital, although the resident did not survive. Rolland did, but his injuries ended his career as a firefighter. For his efforts to rescue the resident, the Los Angeles Fire Department awarded William Rolland the Medal of Valor.
