A. A multi-purpose fire extinguisher is best for the home. Look for the rating to be at least 2A10BC on the label. This extinguisher can be used on any type of fire commonly found in the home. (It will often be labeled A-B-C.) It is recommended that an extinguisher be installed in the kitchen and in the garage.
A. Extinguishers are required based on the type of hazard at your business. The minimum rating for an office with normal combustibles is: 2A:10B:C. This is usually a 5-pound dry chemical type fire extinguisher.
A. You should have at least one smoke detector in each bedroom, the hallway, in the sleeping area, and at the top of all stairways. Smoke rises, so the best place to install a detector is on the ceiling or high on an inside wall approximately 6-8 inches below the ceiling. However, do not install a smoke detector within three feet of any device that might blow the smoke away, or near a bathroom or other area that can have steam.
A. A battery-operated smoke detector, available at hardware or home stores, is sufficient. Be sure to test the batteries monthly and change them once a year.
A. The fire department recommends that you test your smoke detector monthly. This is done in two ways: 1) push the test button or, 2) blow out a candle and hold the smoke up to the detector. Either method should work. Batteries normally last up to one year, and usually the smoke detector provides an audible indication (a chirp) when the batteries become weak. As a reminder, the fire department suggests you "Change your clock, Change your battery" each fall of the year.
A. Tours for groups or individuals may be set up by calling the Administration Office at (310) 524-2234 or the on-duty Battalion Chief at (310) 524-2228, during regular business hours (7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday). Every effort will be made to accommodate the date and time you want. Individuals may stop by the fire station and request a tour. Any available firefighter will be happy to take you around.
A. Free blood pressure checks are offered at Fire Station #1 during regular business hours and once a month, on the 3rd Tuesday at 4:30 P.M. at the Senior Citizens Potluck held at the Joslyn Center.
A. Inspections are conducted annually on apartment buildings, 5 units and above, and all businesses. Home inspections can be requested by calling the Fire Prevention Division at 524-2234.
A. Address numbers must be a minimum of 4-inches in height for residential buildings, 6-inches for commercial and retail buildings, and 12-inches in height for industrial buildings. The address must be posted on the alley side of the building. The address numbers must be visible from the street and/or alley and needs to be a contrasting color to the building.
A. Systems are required to have maintenance and testing done annually and every five years by a licensed contractor. The annual inspection includes an operational test, with the five year test and maintenance a more functional test. Contractors must call 310-524-2234 to schedule an El Segundo Fire Department inspector to witness the five-year testing, and to arrange for fee payment.
A. Sandbags are provided for businesses and residents of the City by calling (310) 524-2709 and are available at the City Maintenance Facility, 150 Illinois Street.
A. The Fire Prevention Division is normally available for counter plan review, Monday through Thursday, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Call (310) 524-2234 to confirm availability.
B Occupancy plans with remodels up to 10,000 sq. ft. in total construction area.
A-3 occupancy plans with remodels up to 3,000 sq. ft.
F and H occupancy tenant improvement plans may not be reviewed over the counter, they must be submitted for plan review.
Fences
Gates that obstruct a fire department access road/lane.
Fire Alarm Systems
Plans are limited to the addition and/or relocation of five initiating devices and the addition and/or relocation of notification appliances for tenant improvement work up to 5,000 sq. ft.
Any new fire alarm control panels and/or power supplies may not be reviewed over the counter, they must be submitted for plan review.
Fire Sprinkler Water Flow Monitoring
Plans are limited to water flow monitoring only, to include a fire alarm control panel, one remote annunciator panel, one manual pull station, one smoke detector, one water flow device, two supervisory devices, and one horn/strobe.
Fire Sprinkler Tenant Improvement
Plans are for addition or relocation of up to 10 new and/or 50 relocated fire sprinkler heads due to tenant improvement work.
Emergency Repairs to Private Fire Main Systems
Plans are limited to a repair of an existing underground private fire service main that is placed out of service due to a break.
A. There are 14-16 Firefighters on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These Firefighters staff fire units at two stations. There is one fire engine, one paramedic unit and one battalion chief at Fire Station 1. There is one fire engine, one fire truck and one paramedic unit at Fire Station 2.
A. No, all firefighters are trained to the level of Emergency Technician I. Our firefighters are also trained in the use of automatic emergency defibrillators. The paramedic position is a special assignment. Firefighters interested in serving as a paramedic participate in an internal selection process.
A. We often find it necessary to use our ground ladders as well as our aerial ladder truck in a number of non-emergency operations and we often send equipment and personnel to assist citizens with water removal from flooding. We get calls to assist the elderly who have fallen and help with people locked out of their homes or vehicles.
A. El Segundo Firefighters work a rotating 48/96 hour shifts, which means they are on-duty for 48 hours then off for 96 hours. This type of shift schedule requires them to stay at the fire station. Firefighters are ready to respond 24 hours per day and are often awoken each night to respond on calls. 24-hour shifts are generally the most cost-effective method of providing emergency medical services and fire suppression to the community.
A. The functions are divided into two primary areas, emergency and non-emergency. Emergency operations consist of fire alarms, medical calls, hazardous materials incidents, natural disasters, and automatic and mutual aid responses. Non-emergencency operations consist of fire prevention, training, maintenance, and public education activities.
A. Fighting fires are only a small portion of a firefighter's duties. Firefighters are responsible for the care and upkeep of all apparatus and equipment used in fighting fires. All equipment must be in top condition and ready for any type of incident. Maintenance of apparatus and equipment is vitally important to the fire service. Our apparatus, equipment and quarters are maintained to the highest standards. This not only assures us of proper operating conditions, but it constantly familiarizes members with the technical aspects of our equipment. Firefighters participate in ongoing training sessions of an average of two hours per day to ensure they are familiar with all aspects of firefighting techniques. These skills need to be practiced regularly as they are not used on a daily basis. Maintaining a high level of preparedness and effectiveness requires an annual training program to keep up with changes in procedures and equipment. As technology changes, so do the methods of dealing with associated problems of that technology. We are constantly trained in new methods of various types of emergency preparedness. Firefighters also conduct annual inspections of all businesses within the City to ensure they meet standards for safety.
A. Engine and truck companies need to stay together in case they need to respond to an emergency. It permits them to respond faster when all company members are already together.
A. The Fire Department provides local businesses both fire and medical emergency response; assistance with pre-fire planning, and evacuation planning; office safety and fire extinguisher training for employees; emergency preparedness planning; and annual fire inspections. In regard to environmental programs, the Department is able to provide guidance on how to comply with various requirements through consultation or guidance documents. Inspections are conducted on a routine basis and are intended to reduce environmental hazards through education and engineering. The personnel are very familiar with each operation and can suggest rational and economical solutions towards compliance.
A. Contractors submit building plans to the City. We use fire protection codes and regulations to check the plans to ensure the safety of the people who will occupy the building or area. We look for things such as how people in the building can get out easily and safely without being locked in or confused. We also have certain protection systems built into the structure such as fire sprinklers and suppression systems that will work properly when they are needed.
A. For life safety on new construction we look to see if what was shown on the plans is actually what has been installed. On an annual inspection we look for potential safety hazards that can be abated before they become a serious problem. Mutual cooperation is our main objective to get code compliance. The Department will point out a problem and try to show that it is in everyone's best interest to make the area as safe as possible.
A. The El Segundo Fire Department uses a variety of ways to educate the public about fires. They include information booths at community functions, open house at the fire station, and fire safety publications that we make available to the public. We have "Sparky" our Dalmatian dog that helps us at functions and at school to teach things like "stop, drop and roll" and "learn not to burn." We also promote smoke detector usage in the home.
A. A copy of the International Fire Code is available for review in the Fire Prevention Office at 314 Main Street during office hours (7:00 a.m. to 6:0 p.m., Monday through Thursday).
A. This year's event will take place on May 19, 2012. The Fire Department no longer hosts this event, but please stay tuned to the home page of the City's website for the latest news as it becomes available.
A. When you dial 9-1-1, you will speak with a dispatcher. The dispatcher will determine what apparatus and personnel need to be dispatched to handle your specific emergency.
A. Depending on the emergency situation, Police, Fire, or Police and Fire will be dispatched. Police are dispatched to situations involving robbery, assault, public nuisance, domestic disputes, and traffic collisions. Fire is dispatched to medical emergencies, fires whether actual or suspected, hazardous materials spills or releases, and traffic collisions, if injuries are suspected. Fire and Police can respond on hazardous materials incidents and traffic accidents.
The City is divided into two districts for fire response, with Sepulveda Boulevard as the dividing line. Station 1 handles calls west of Sepulveda and Station 2 handles calls east of Sepulveda. Depending on the nature or size of the alarm, units will cross over into the other district to assist. When an alarm to any address with serious consequences to life or property exists, all units within the City will respond.
A. The City participates in Mutual or Automatic Aid Agreements with surrounding cities (Torrance, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, City of L.A. and County of L.A.) In the event of a major incident, we can call on neighboring agencies for assistance. If we need additional resources we can receive them from within the County, from other Counties, within the State, and outside the State depending on our needs. The mutual aid system can provide us with all the resources we need to handle any emergency.
A. No! On an incident where we send out our engine companies for an extended period of time, we recall Firefighters to staff the reserve fire apparatus.
A. Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) is performance of specialized rescue techniques for unusual rescue challenges and disaster responses such as earthquakes and building collapses. Training consists of high angle rescue, confined space rescue, trench shoring and rescue, and building collapse shoring and rescue.
A. El Segundo Fire Department provides response to any medical emergency. Two paramedic rescue ambulances are on duty 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. All firefighters are trained to the Emergency Medical Technician level (EMT-1) and fifteen (15) firefighters are trained Paramedics. The El Segundo Fire Department has two state-of-the-art ambulances with constantly updated equipment. Each day these ambulances are staffed with two Paramedics on each and have full transportation capability. Each fire engine and the fire truck have Automated External Defibrillators (A.E.D.s) on board in addition to the Paramedics full-function defibrillators.
A. An engine is dispatched with the Rescue Ambulance whenever it is anticipated that additional assistance will be needed. Paramedics work as a two person team and will have their hands full with any emergency call. The engine company personnel are part of that team and assist in setting up equipment, loading patients, and all phases of emergency medical duties.
A. A rescue ambulance with two firefighter/paramedics and an engine with three firefighters are dispatched on most medical emergencies. The additional staffing is often needed for moving a patient; providing CPR compressions and/or ventilation with a full arrest situation; controlling the scene; assisting with multiple victims; getting medical history information, allergies information, or to stabilize a scene, a vehicle, or provide safety to patients and firefighters. By having the additional personnel, the paramedics are freed to concentrate their efforts on the victim or victims, starting IVs, administering drugs, defibrillating, establishing airways, talking to the base-station hospital for treatment orders, etc.. Also, since all firefighters are EMT-1 trained, if they arrive on the scene prior to the paramedics, they can begin Basic Life Support.
A. Depending upon the nature and seriousness of your injury or illness, and if the other facilities will accept you, we may transport you to a local hospital of your choice.
A. No fee is charged for the fire department to respond to an emergency. The only fees charged are for ambulance transportation in an emergency, to a hospital.
A. We conduct investigations for the origin and cause of every fire. Personnel are trained to conduct fire investigations in a predetermined sequence that will track the actions of people and the spread of the fire. Finding the point where a fire started is a complex process involving asking numerous questions of people such as, what did you do or see, taking lots of photographs, and recreating the scene. It is a time consuming and sometimes extremely difficult process, however, it must be done so that we can learn what happened. We can then use the information and take precautions so that the fire will not be repeated in the future.
A. The Fire Department cannot pick up household hazardous materials or store them at the fire station if they are left. Household hazardous materials need to be disposed of by taking them to a local county-wide roundup. For a schedule of upcoming dates and sites, call the L.A. County Department of Public Works, toll free, at 1-888-253-2652, Monday through Thursday, for information. In Los Angeles City areas, dial 1-800-988-6942.
A. Yes. Complete a copy of the "Request for Copies of Environmental Documents" form, which can be found on the Environmental Safety division page, or through "Documents" link. Further instructions can be found at the bottom of the form.
A. The refinery and other chemical operations are closely monitored by the City's Environmental Safety Division to maintain federal, state and local compliance. The City participates in a mass notification system that automatically contacts residents and businesses via telephone, that have requested being on the system, within the critical distance of facilities if there is an actual or perceived emergency. To be included in the automated mass notification system, contact the Environmental Safety Manager at (310) 524-2242.
A. The City of El Segundo is a designated Certified Unified Program Agency or "CUPA", which authorizes the City to implement various State environmental programs locally. The programs administered by the Fire Department include:
Hazardous Materials Disclosure - annual disclosure of chemicals that exceed 55 gallons, 500 pounds or 200 cubic feet and which are stored or used within a business;
Accidental Release Prevention Program - requires the development of plans and installation of equipment to reduce the dangers posed by extremely hazardous substances or explosive compounds;
Underground Storage Tank - inspection of businesses that use underground tanks for storing chemicals or fuels that may leak into groundwater;
Aboveground Tanks - inspection of petroleum tanks exceeding 1320 gallons, which may leak into surface waters or ocean;
Hazardous Waste - Regulation of chemicals that are toxic and no longer used by a business. Ensures chemical wastes are legally treated or disposed of at permitted facilities;
International Fire Code - Ensures dangerous chemicals are reported to the Fire Department.
A. We recommend "Sheltering-in-place", by going indoors and tightly shutting all windows and doors leading outdoors. Air conditioners and heaters must be shut down to prevent entry of harmful chemicals. You may receive an automated telephone call advising you of the hazardous condition and when it is safe to come outdoors.
A. We have an Environmental Safety Manager and an environmental safety vehicle with specialized equipment as well as having all personnel trained to Hazardous Materials First Responder Operational. We are also linked into an automated mass notification system for emergencies.
A. Currently, the Fire Department oversees "Community Right-to-Know" requirements and a Chemical Accident Prevention Program which are intended to inform the community of possible chemical hazards in industry.
A. You may contact the American Red Cross (ARC) or the American Heart Assocation (AHA) for class information. Local chapters include: ARC-Torrance (310) 225-2900 and AHA-Los Angeles County (310) 291-7000.
A. Sandbags are provided for businesses and residents of the City by calling (310) 524-2709 and are available at the City Maintenance Facility, 150 Illinois Street.
A. The City has a full-time Emergency Management Coordinator. The Emergency Management Office is located in the Fire Department and provides free copies of the Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Handbook, that address seasonal threats, earthquakes and disaster preparedness. The Emergency Management Coordinator is available to assist you with emergency plan development and conduct evaluations of your home or business for possible hazards and make suggestions on ways to mitigate them. Seminars and classes are available for local businesses, schools and community groups that address disaster preparedness issues. Contact Jeff Robinson at (310) 524-2252, to schedule an appointment or presentation.
A. CERT is an acronym for the "Community Emergency Response Team." The City of El Segundo offers this course at no charge, which is designed to teach members of the community to be self-reliant following a disaster or emergency, when emergency services (i.e., fire, police, and ambulance services) may be stressed and unable to respond as normal. The course is 8 segments (3 hours each) totaling 24 hours, and focuses on 6 key areas: Disaster Preparedness, Basic Fire Suppression, Medical Procedures I & II, Light Search and Rescue, Disaster Psychology, Terrorism, and Incident Management. Upon graduation, you may purchase an optional emergency response kit ($60.00 fee), which contains a helmet, vest, goggles, gloves, first aid kit, whistle, and other supplies that you may need in the minutes and hours following an emergency. You can also store a change of clothes in this kit as well. For more information, please contact the Emergency Management Coordinator at (310) 524-2252 and visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website at: http://www.fema.gov/emi/cert/.
A. You may register as a Disaster Service Worker for the City of El Segundo, which means if you are able, you may volunteer your time and service to the community in various tasks: staffing a disaster aid station, providing documents to impacted residents, and other tasks that are essential for disaster recovery. Please contact the Emergency Management Coordinator for more information and application forms. You must be 18 years old, and undergo a background process before being approved. You will be issued a City Disaster Service Worker ID Card upon approval of your application.
A. The City of El Segundo sponsors the El Segundo Amateur Radio Group (ESARG) and operates its own closed repeater system in the 440 MHz range. The ESARG group is a cadre of volunteers who are a part of the City's Emergency Response Team and coordinated through the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Disaster Communications Service (DCS) and Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. There are nearly 20 members who volunteer regularly for the ESARG, if you are interested in joining the group, please contact the Emergency Management Coordinator.
A. CERT does not certify you as an emergency worker or provider. You will be not affiliated with the Police or Fire Department, and you will not respond to routine emergencies. CERT is about helping your family, your neighborhood, and serving the community as a volunteer in an extreme or catastrophic emergency. Anyone misrepresenting themselves or interfering with public safety personnel are subject to arrest and prosecution.
A. CERT classes are provided 4 times a year when 25 or more students have registered. The CERT Program Manager attempts to schedule classes in 3 basic formats -four consecutive 6-hour days (M-Th) from 8am to 4pm, with a lunch break. or four consecutive Saturdays from 8am to 4pm, or one weeknight from 6:30-9:30 for 8 weeks. If you would like to be placed on the waiting list, please call (310) 524-2252.
A. You must be at least 18 years old in good health and able to perform light physical activity, and have a desire to serve your community. All applicants must be able to pass a basic background investigation in order to be registered as a volunteer disaster service worker - all CERT Team members become part of the City's disaster response organization. The class and training is free, however, a $60.00 fee is charged for the emergency response kit and equipment students are issued for the class. The kit contains a nylon storage bag, vest, helmet, goggles, gloves, first-aid kit, and other supplies. If you have any questions, please contact the Emergency Management Coordinator at (310) 524-2252.
A. The City of El Segundo is rather unique in that, other than a major shipping port, we have all of the other target hazards of a major metropolitan area. We have a huge petroleum refinery, chemical and manufacturing plants, research and development, high-rise buildings, railroads, pipelines, and beaches within our city limits. We also have Los Angeles International Airport as a neighbor. We are prepared to handle responses to all of these specific areas all the while protecting our residential community with the highest level of service. We have an extremely rapid response time within the City, averaging 3 to 4 minutes.
A. El Segundo does not have a reserve/auxiliary program. Other local departments have reserve/auxiliary programs. Each department has their own requirements you would need to contact the department you are interested in becoming a reserve/auxiliary for further information.
