Los Angeles Fire Department FIRE PREVENTION NEWS 2nd Quarter / 7
th
Issue
Fire Prevention and Public Safety Bureau
Reducing False Alarms - AKA “Unwanted Alarms” By Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas Over the past several months, the Fire Prevention and Public Safety Bureau (FPB) in conjunction with Emergency Operations have been developing a program to reduce the number of false alarms. False alarms are now being referred to as “unwanted alarms”. The terminology has changed to more accurately reflect what is occurring. An alarm may activate due to detecting smoke from overheating food in a microwave oven. This is not a false alarm, but it is an unwanted alarm. Unwanted alarms continue to increase; taking needed resources away from more critical responses. The False Alarm Reduction Pilot Program encompasses a multi-faceted approach to reduce unwanted false alarms. The plan includes: • Training • Simplifying data entry • Use of Brycer (The Compliance Engine) • Increasing testing and repairs at problem buildings • Community outreach
May 2016
Message from the Fire Marshal FPB 100 Years Strong By Deputy Chief, John Vidovich
BUREAU COMMANDER Deputy Chief John Vidovich ASSISTANT BUREAU COMMANDER Assistant Chief Kwame Cooper Commander Battalion Chief Admin Andrew Wordin Commander Battalion Chief Metro Rail Michael Thomas Commander Battalion Chief Industrial Commercial Ernest Bobadilla Commander Battalion Chief Public Safety Jerome Boyd Fire Development Services, Senior Fire Protection Engineer Hani Malki CUPA Manager Royce Long OFFICE
213-978-3570 Office 213-978-3516 Fax
Email:
lafd.firemarshal @lacity.org
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On June 16, 1916, the City Council approved Ordinance No. 34352 creating a Bureau of Fire Prevention and Public Safety (FPB). Chief Engineer Eley placed Captain Charles Hawley in command. Captain Hawley’s staff included only a Fire Prevention Engineer, a Deputy Fire Prevention Engineer and a few Fire Inspectors. However, six unpaid Inspectors, selected from outside the Department, assisted them. By April 16, 1918, the FPB had grown to 25 Inspectors. As fire prevention efforts and responsibilities increased, Chief Eley formed an Arson Bureau and made it part of fire prevention. Today, staff assigned to the Fire Prevention and Public Safety Bureau, provide needed customer service to six offices located strategically throughout the City. Considering the FPB’s historical beginnings, it is obvious the responsibilities of the Department’s fire prevention personnel have dramatically changed. In an effort to meet the demands of constituents, we continue to evolve. Changing roles for fire prevention personnel are driven not only by the residents of Los Angeles, but also by outside governmental agencies, new regulations and enacted legislation, and the ever-increasing advances in technology.
FPB is currently developing training on the new NFIRS codes as well as refresher training on notice writing with a specific focus on sections of the Fire Code that relate to false alarms. Additionally, an updated Department Bulletin is being drafted. For the pilot program to be successful, it will require the effort of all members to ensure we are following Department policy and properly documenting false alarms. With our continued effort, we will be able to significantly reduce our unwanted alarm responses throughout the City of Los Angeles. More information will be forthcoming as we make progress on this important initiative.
I am excited that we are evolving to a metric driven and technology sophisticated bureau as we meet the Mayor’s and Fire Chief’s “Back to Basics” agenda.
Overdue Inspections In February 2015, it was identified that there was 10,013 overdue maintenance inspections. Eleven months later
To commemorate our 100 year anniversary, a FPB challenge coin is being designed and will be given to every FPB member. Keep up the good work.
and a lot of hard work from our Inspectors and Captains, the list of overdue inspection has been cleaned up by 99.4 percent. The 33 inspections that are left are pending legal and inspection approvals. This accomplishment could not have been done with out the combined effort of all members within the Industrial Commercial Section and Public Safety Sections. A big thank you to all. The below graph illustrates the monthly decline in overdue inspections.
CUPA Section Gets New Manager Royce Long, new CUPA Program Manager for the Fire Prevention and Public Safety Bureau as of February 21, 2016. Since 1994, he has been regulating environmental programs. He began his career with Brisbane City Council, Australia then moving to California in 2001 where he continued his career with the County of Orange Environmental Health Division. He has an Environmental Health Degree, from Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, and is a member of the CUPA Forum Board. He has also presented numerous times on technology and business workflows at the annual CUPA Conference. Royce has a keen interest in enforcement and providing a fair playing field for businesses. His two most notable cases include the largest penalty for environmental harm in Queensland at the time and most recently multiple State-wide settlements based off mismanagement of hazardous waste at a reverse logistics company operating out of Orange County (OC). The OC CUPA also revamped their Administrative Enforcement Order process resulting in more than 40 AEO's and over $600K in penalties in one fiscal year. In his new role with LAFD, Royce believes the major challenges going forward with the CUPA essentially revolve around program stability. Recruiting an experienced Manager permanently assigned to the Section and maintaining a stable and well-trained team of experienced inspection staff to implement the program will go a long way to seeing the program develop the momentum it needs and credibility that it deserves. On a more granular level, he believes there are opportunities to continue with the development of technology, modification of the inspection programs, improving billing workflows, enhancing program reporting and quality assurance and providing program direction. The CUPA program is scheduled for the next triennial State evaluation in 2017. Between now and then Royce will be focused on addressing existing deficiencies, implementing program improvements and building the LAFD CUPA team. Los Angeles Fire Department
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Los Angeles Fire Department
Fire Prevention Bureau Fire Prevention Training
FI R E PR EVENTION NEWS
Members Attend CFPI Workshop
Passing of Sandra Smith
During the month of March, eight members from the Fire Prevention Bureau including the
March 30, 1959 - March 2, 2016
Fire Marshal traveled to Buellton for the California Fire Prevention Institutes 5-day Workshop. During the workshop, LAFD members were able to gain knowledge from classes that included: Fire Doors and Fire Door Inspection, Historical Building Code for the Fire Service, Fire That Have Affected Todays Codes, Exit Time Analysis, Large Assembly Inspections, and a very impressive key note presentation about survival regarding the January 19, 2000 Seton Hall University Fire. This conference continues to be the leader of delivering quality sessions with and emphasis on fire prevention. Many new ideas were learned here and will be brought back to the City of Los Angeles to implement.
On March 2, 2016. Sandra Lee Smith of the Fire Prevention Bureau passed away. Born in the City of Los Angeles, Sandy was the third child born to David and Emma Smith. Sandy received her primary and secondary education in the Compton Unified School District. She was an outstanding athlete in Jr. High, High School and College. Sandy received a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from the University of La Verne and a Master’s degree in Education from California State University Dominguez Hills. After working two years teaching physical education Sandy passed the test to become a Los Angeles City Firefighter. where she worked for almost 27 years. For the last 15 years she was a Fire Inspector I and her last assignment was working in the West Industrial Unit. Sandy was truly a trail-blazer in many aspects of her career choices and humanitarian outreach. Sandy loved spending time with friends and family, she also loved the Lord and accepted Christ at an early age. May she rest in peace. RIP Sandy
LEARN CPR. GET THE APP. SAVE A LIFE Download the App today. Search: PulsePoint
SAFETY MESSAGE - Keeping Kids Safe From Fire Make an escape plan It is important to have a plan when there are children in the home. Children sometimes need help getting out of the house, and they may not know how to escape or what to do unless an adult shows them.
Have a plan for young children who cannot get outside by themselves.
Know two ways out of every room.
Milestones
Inspector II Inspector II Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I
Keep children safe from fire and burns Some children are curious about fire. There are simple steps you can take to keep you and the people you love safer from fire and burns.
Keep children 3 feet away from anything that can get hot.
Keep smoking materials locked up in a high place.
Never play with lighters or matches when you are with your children.
Retirements
Promotions Marvin Anderson George Suchand Miguel Perez Brian Quinn Joe Mendoza Emile Williams Shane Bystrom John Stuhlman David Tu Herbert Reddick Michael Gillissie
Fire Development Services (Temp) Fire Development Services (Temp) Schools Churches & Institutions Central Industrial Unit Central Industrial Unit Valley Public Safety Environmental Unit Central Industrial Unit High-Rise Unit Schools & Churches & Institutions High-Rise Unit
Philip Ayala Jeffery Rickey Brain Holtfreter Dawn Dove Steven Wieser Tony Marino Martin Avilla Carlos Gallegos
Additions CUPA Manager Captain II Captain I
Royce Long Robert Wedlock Dwayne Laurent
CUPA Section High Rise Unit Fire Development Services
Customer Service Mayor Garcetti defining his expectations of customer service
“A Culture of Customer Service is a Culture of Efficiency” 3
Fire Prevention and Public Safety Bureau
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Los Angeles Fire Department
Captain I Inspector II Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I Inspector I