Firefighters Los Angeles

Grateful for the care given their members in the wake of the Southland wildfires, two Los Angeles firefighters organizations Wednesday donated four televisions and four videocassette players to the burn center at Sherman Oaks Hospital and Health Center. "It's a very traumatic and painful existence in there," said Jerry Hall, a vice president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City. "One of the few pleasures they have is TV."

The push to recall the controversial head of L.A.'s firefighter union has fizzled, according to the man who was the target of the campaign over the last three months. Pat McOsker, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112, said the union's election committee unanimously invalidated the recall drive after discovering that signature gatherers had, in violation of the rules, failed to attach the reasons for the recall to their petitions. McOsker has been criticized for using aggressive tactics to lobby against reductions in firefighter and paramedic staffing, including the publication of a mailer featuring images of last year's deadly Metrolink crash in Chatsworth.

The state Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a challenge by Los Angeles officials to an appellate court decision they said could cost the city up to $43 million a year in increased police and fire pension benefits. In a brief order, the justices refused to review a state Court of Appeal ruling in April striking down a voter-approved 1982 Charter amendment that placed a 3% limit on pension cost-of-living increases for thousands of current and former police officers and firefighters.

After conducting its own investigation, the Orange County Fire Authority on Tuesday rejected the allegation by a Yorba Linda couple that firefighters had deliberately delayed putting out the blaze that destroyed their home in December. Jeff and Tricia James originally voiced their complaints at Orange County Board of Supervisors and Yorba Linda City Council meetings three months after the fire.

The city of Los Angeles may ask the military to exempt reserve police officers and firefighters from being called into active duty because they are needed to fight "a war waging here," City Councilman Nate Holden said this week. Holden, who wrote to President Bush asking that reservist police officers be overlooked for active duty because of the nature of their jobs, said 114 people have been killed in Los Angeles since the U.S. military action in the Persian Gulf began seven weeks ago.

Two firefighters hurt battling a brush fire were "overwhelmed" by the hundreds of people who offered to donate blood for their recovery, a fire captain said Wednesday. "They were just overwhelmed by all the attention," said Capt. Steve Valenzuela. "Their spirits are really up." More than 80 people, most of them firefighters, donated blood to Christopher Barth, 25, and Hector (Gabe) Larios, 19, who were burned in a fire last week near Altadena that killed two other firefighters.

Los Angeles voters are being asked to decide a $376-million earthquake safety bond issue that proponents say would save lives --and ultimately millions of dollars for taxpayers--when the "Big One" hits. Bond Proposition G on next Tuesday's ballot would allow the city to raise money to reinforce, repair and replace city-owned buildings, roads and bridges in need of earthquake safety improvements.

Reports that some would-be firefighters have breached the security of an aptitude test for the Los Angeles County Fire Department by studying the actual examination in advance are being investigated by the county's Internal Services Department, authorities confirmed Thursday.

Mayor Tom Bradley's budget proposal to gut a Police Department overtime account and cut hundreds of officers from the force would lead to a disastrous increase in emergency response time and severely curtail efforts to catch violent criminals, Police Chief Daryl F. Gates told a City Council committee Thursday. Gates made his comments during an appearance with his designated replacement, Police Commissioner Willie L. Williams of Philadelphia.

Fourteen firefighters, paramedics and law enforcement officers were presented Los Angeles Community Protector awards Thursday at the Universal Sheraton for their willingness to go beyond the call of duty for their communities. About 800 community representatives, civic leaders and members of the award recipients' families attended the $35-a-plate ceremony hosted by weatherman Christopher Nance of KNBC.

Five Los Angeles firefighters were honored at City Hall on Tuesday for rescuing a man who was stranded when heavy rains trapped his truck in the swollen Los Angeles River two years ago. The firefighters saved driver Manuel Aldana when his dump truck slipped into the river's swirling waters near the 1st Street Bridge on March 12, 1996, said Alex Arriola, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Fire Department. Aldana had retreated to the hood of the engine compartment for refuge from rising water.

Fourteen firefighters, paramedics and law enforcement officers were presented Los Angeles Community Protector awards Thursday at the Universal Sheraton for their willingness to go beyond the call of duty for their communities. About 800 community representatives, civic leaders and members of the award recipients' families attended the $35-a-plate ceremony hosted by weatherman Christopher Nance of KNBC.

Grateful for the care given their members in the wake of the Southland wildfires, two Los Angeles firefighters organizations Wednesday donated four televisions and four videocassette players to the burn center at Sherman Oaks Hospital and Health Center. "It's a very traumatic and painful existence in there," said Jerry Hall, a vice president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City. "One of the few pleasures they have is TV."

Two firefighters hurt battling a brush fire were "overwhelmed" by the hundreds of people who offered to donate blood for their recovery, a fire captain said Wednesday. "They were just overwhelmed by all the attention," said Capt. Steve Valenzuela. "Their spirits are really up." More than 80 people, most of them firefighters, donated blood to Christopher Barth, 25, and Hector (Gabe) Larios, 19, who were burned in a fire last week near Altadena that killed two other firefighters.

Mayor Tom Bradley's budget proposal to gut a Police Department overtime account and cut hundreds of officers from the force would lead to a disastrous increase in emergency response time and severely curtail efforts to catch violent criminals, Police Chief Daryl F. Gates told a City Council committee Thursday. Gates made his comments during an appearance with his designated replacement, Police Commissioner Willie L. Williams of Philadelphia.

The city of Los Angeles may ask the military to exempt reserve police officers and firefighters from being called into active duty because they are needed to fight "a war waging here," City Councilman Nate Holden said this week. Holden, who wrote to President Bush asking that reservist police officers be overlooked for active duty because of the nature of their jobs, said 114 people have been killed in Los Angeles since the U.S. military action in the Persian Gulf began seven weeks ago.

Five Los Angeles firefighters were honored at City Hall on Tuesday for rescuing a man who was stranded when heavy rains trapped his truck in the swollen Los Angeles River two years ago. The firefighters saved driver Manuel Aldana when his dump truck slipped into the river's swirling waters near the 1st Street Bridge on March 12, 1996, said Alex Arriola, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Fire Department. Aldana had retreated to the hood of the engine compartment for refuge from rising water.

Strict limits on campaign contributions imposed by voters nearly three decades ago are crumbling in the Los Angeles mayor's race, with big donors using loosely regulated "super PACs" to help candidates like never before in a citywide election, a Times analysis has found. Of the $17.5 million collected so far to support mayoral hopefuls Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti, roughly one-third - a record $6.1 million - has gone into independent political action committees that can accept contributions of any size.

Los Angeles voters are being asked to decide a $376-million earthquake safety bond issue that proponents say would save lives --and ultimately millions of dollars for taxpayers--when the "Big One" hits. Bond Proposition G on next Tuesday's ballot would allow the city to raise money to reinforce, repair and replace city-owned buildings, roads and bridges in need of earthquake safety improvements.

Reports that some would-be firefighters have breached the security of an aptitude test for the Los Angeles County Fire Department by studying the actual examination in advance are being investigated by the county's Internal Services Department, authorities confirmed Thursday.