BHFD Hosts Team Beverly Hills

This year I was lucky enough to have been chosen to experience Team Beverly Hills, the city's educational program for residents that started in 1996.

Team BH gives what can only be termed an intensive, interactive and incredibly interesting civics lesson by introducing and informing residents about the functions of the various departments and commissions that make our city work. Last week we had what could arguably be called our most exciting outing: an evening with the men and women of the , during which we learned all they do to keep the city safe.

We were welcomed at the fire station headquarters on North Rexford Drive by , our fire chief of four years who has been with the city for 26. After an introduction and overview of what we were going to see and how the department functioned, we shared a supper prepared by Fire Captain Dean Viana, who could easily open a restaurant if he ever decides to give up firefighting. The firefighters sat with us and talked about their shifts—48 hours on, then four days off.

With great humor, some discussed the challenges they can face when on call. One firefighter related that he's had to leave a shower with a head full of suds. Twice. In one night.  

In the middle of dinner, half the room was cleared when an alarm on the 11th floor of a building on Wilshire Boulevard came in. Just another day on the job.

After our meal, we went downstairs to view some of the equipment the firefighters use. There is an Urban Search & Rescue vehicle that carries no hoses or water, but has equipment used to stabilize partially collapsed buildings and extricate people trapped in vehicles, air unit rechargers, scuba lines to feed firefighters air when in tight spaces where the air units won't fit, a decontamination unit for chemical exposure and super-bright floodlights to assist during calls.

We were shown the BHFD's state-of-the-art thermal imaging cameras, not to be confused with night vision cameras that use available ambient light to create an image. Thermal imaging relies on a heat source, as we saw in the pitch-black room where we tested it. The camera will show a body as clearly as a neon sign.

Next we saw the rescue vehicles that BHFD paramedics use when responding with the fire trucks. It was fascinating to see the cutting-edge equipment that they carry both inside the truck and in portable units that are used to assist injured parties.

The department also answered a question that might be on the minds of residents. Why is it standard procedure to send both fire trucks and paramedic vehicles on a call? The answer: safety.

On a fire call, there's no guarantee that there won't be injured people who need immediate care. The person who called could need treatment for anything from smoke inhalation to a heart attack. Firefighters recalled one case where they responded to a paramedic call at one home only to have workers repairing the roof next door frantically call them over to put out a fire they'd inadvertently started.  

Perhaps the most dramatic part of the evening was watching the BHPD in "Hollywood Action." The department conducted a simulation of a real response using artificial smoke and part of the Civic Center complex while Team BH watched from an adjacent balcony.

We knew intellectually that there was no danger from any fire in this situation. Yet watching the firefighters climb the truck ladders to the roof three stories up—laden with who knows how many pounds of equipment—made me think that this is perhaps the true definition of heroism: running into the danger that the rest of us would run from in order to save lives.

When asked about what we citizens can do to keep from needing a visit from the BHFD, the firefighters mentioned keeping fire extinguishers handy and smoke detectors in good repair, not storing flammable material near furnaces or water heaters, keeping dryer vents and ductwork clear and never, ever leaving the house with a candle burning or a pot on the stove. They also reminded us to keep our earthquake supplies up to date and that if we don't have an emergency preparedness plan, to make one. Now.

Applications for the 2012 class of Team Beverly Hills will be available in May of this year. I urge people to apply. It's an incredible chance to peer behind the curtain and see the day-to-day operations that make Beverly Hills a city like no other.