LAFD history

1887 marked the date of the first City-owned fire station, Engine Company No.

Attempting to deal with the problem of an inadequate water supply, the Department purchased two chemical engines in 1891.

His accomplishments, which are appreciated by members to this day, include the passage of an 1898 bond issue providing $150,000 for the purchase of sites; the construction of 12 municipally-owned fire stations; plans for a Firemen's pension system; and greater efficiency with the fire alarm system.

Included in this expansion were improved benefits to its members, use of motorized apparatus, creation of the Mountain Patrol, and implementation of a response system for certain types of medical emergencies. It was not until the 1900’s that the Department began to fully expand its operations.

In 1901, the first Fire Department pension system was established for members injured in the line of duty.

In 1910, the Hollywood area was annexed, giving the LAFD its first motorized apparatus, an auto chemical hose vehicle.

163 horses, the largest number owned by the Department at any one time, were in use in 1912.

Several years later, in 1913, the pension fund was expanded to include service retirement, disability benefits, and assistance to widows and orphans.

Los Angeles purchased its first fireboat, the “Aeolian,” in 1915.

As the Department’s responsibilities continued to expand the need for a Fire Prevention Bureau was recognized, resulting in its creation in 1916.

In 1924, the Mountain Patrol was created to improve fire safety in the hillside communities of the City.

In 1925, a "fire college" was created for use by all ranks of the LAFD. Through its activities, the college created a marked increase in efficiency in firefighting methods.

Also, in 1926, inhalators were placed on rescue vehicles in four districts. For example, in 1926, one of Chief Turner’s first acts was to create a Fire Captain’s College.

The first Fire Department rescue ambulance was implemented in 1927.

By 1931, the LAFD had six ambulances, all within the Metropolitan and Harbor areas of the City.

In 1940, the Department witnessed the voluntary retirement of the Chief Engineer, Deputy Chief, three Assistant Chiefs, seven Battalion Chiefs, and 24 Captains.

In 1947, the largest building program ever undertaken occurred with the passage of a $4.5 million bond issue providing for the construction or remodeling of 35 fire stations and the purchase of new apparatus.

That same year, the National Board of Fire Underwriters, in a survey of the City, rated the Department "Class 1." By 1950, Los Angeles had become the fastest growing City in the nation.

In 1970, the first Paramedic ambulance went into service at Fire Station 53 in San Pedro.

In 1973, contracted ambulance services were phased out and the Fire Department assumed complete control of first care emergency medical services throughout the City.

By adopting an Affirmative Action program in 1974, the Department also created a Minority Recruitment Unit with the sole purpose of improving the recruitment of minorities.

Always striving to improve its services to the community, the LAFD instituted the Incident Command System in 1976.

With the property tax limitations and standardization of tax rates established by Proposition 13 in 1978, there was no longer a need to maintain the separate districts.

In 1981, Acting Chief Engineer Alan R. Evanson created a committee to further support archiving history of the department.

Therefore, in 1986 the Universal, Wrightwood, and Dominguez districts were dissolved and annexed to the CFPD.

In 1992, the CFPD annexed all the remaining unincorporated area in the County and unified the two departments into the CFPD with a corresponding property tax transfer to fulfill the chartered responsibilities of the F&FW.

Following the loss of lives and structures during the 1993 wildfire season, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors created the Wildfire Safety Panel to offer recommendations that would help reduce the threat to life and property in areas prone to wildfires.

Deputy Fire Chief Dennis Breshears started his fire service career at the age of 23 after he was appointed to the Monrovia Fire Department on February 24, 1994.

One of the recommendations was to follow the findings of the Wildland Urban lnterface Task Force and another was to enforce the provisions of the Bates Bill. As a result, Fuel Modification Plans became a requirement within Los Angeles County beginning in 1996.

The CFPD has a civilian oversight committee that annually reviews expenditures of the CFPD’s special tax to ensure it is expended in the manner approved by voters in 1997.

In October 1998, Mackey transferred to Fire Station 161 in Hawthorne and, 11 months later, was promoted to the rank of Fire Fighter Specialist.

The following essay was written and delivered by retired Battalion Chief James O. Page at the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s 75th Anniversary Celebration, Autry Museum of Western Heritage, October 16, 1999:

In February 2000, Mackey promoted to the rank of Fire Captain and was assigned to Fire Station 83 in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Chief Barrera joined the Fire Department in November 2004 where she served as the Assistant Chief and Chief of the Financial Management Division.

In November 2006, Chief Mackey volunteered to head the Recruitment Unit where he managed over 50 recruiters who volunteered to give career presentations at high schools, colleges/universities, career fairs, and community events.

In November 2010, Chief Mackey was promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief and was assigned to Battalion 10 in El Monte, and then Battalion 8 in Whittier.

In April 2012, John was promoted to the rank of deputy fire chief of the Prevention Services Bureau (PSB). The PSB is comprised of the Fire Prevention Division, the Forestry Division and the Health Hazardous Materials Division.

He was promoted to Deputy Fire Chief in 2013 and helped create the Leadership and Professional Standards Bureau.

In June 2015, Chief Lawrence was appointed to Chief Deputy of Business Operations and continues to work closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the financial future of the Fire Department is stable and sustainable.

In December 2017, Chief Ewald was promoted to the rank of Deputy Fire Chief where he oversaw the Department’s Special Services Bureau consisting of three divisions: Fleet Services, Command and Control, and Construction & Maintenance.

In 2018, Chief Ewald attended the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.