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Twenty-one members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, along with five members of the Los Angeles City Fire Department and one member of the London Fire Brigade, graduated from hazardous materials technician training Nov. 4.
The pair of Bombardier CL-415 air tankers—commonly referred to as Super Scoopers—will remain in Los Angeles County through Nov. 30, thanks to a 25-day contract extension.
At its regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 4, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors waived parking fees for the Fire Department and issued two proclamations.
As we change our clocks one hour back on Sunday, November 2, 2014, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reminds residents to change the batteries in every smoke and carbon monoxide detector device in their home.
Carbon monoxide detectors are required by SB-183 to be installed outside of each sleeping area in traditional dwellings. For maximum protection against CO gas, the Los Angeles County Fire Department also recommends that a CO device be installed in each sleeping room.
Follow these simple tips when handling and maintaining smoke detectors:
- Test your smoke alarms for proper operations at least twice each year.
- Clean your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors so they are free of lint and dust build up.
- Change the batteries in every smoke and carbon monoxide detector device in your home at least twice each year when you change your clocks.
- Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms are now required by law in California. (SB-183)
- Most importantly! Have two (2) planned escape routes from your home with a designated meeting place outside for all members of your family, and conduct fire drills at home regularly.
LOS ANGELES – August 6, 2014 – To aid cardiac arrest victims quickly, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, The PulsePoint Foundation and The Wireless Foundation are making the PulsePoint app available to individuals in the Los Angeles County area today. Aimed at average citizens and off-duty professionals trained in CPR, the app alerts registered users when a sudden cardiac arrest occurs in a public place in their immediate vicinity. Informed at the same time as emergency responders, users are given detailed instructions, including the location of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) nearby.
More than 13,000 people in Los Angeles County have already downloaded the app, but local promotional campaigns are in development to help raise awareness among the County’s more than 4 million residents. The leading cause of death in the U.S., cardiac arrests outside hospitals are responsible for more than 1,000 deaths a day and 424,000 a year. Effective CPR administered immediately after a cardiac arrest can potentially double or triple the victim’s chance of survival, but less than half of victims receive that immediate help.
“Widespread deployment of the PulsePoint app can significantly strengthen the Chain of Survival by increasing the chance that lifesaving steps will be taken by CPR-trained individuals prior to the arrival of our personnel,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby. “Mobile technology can help us build a safer, more resilient community, and thanks to the donation by The Wireless Foundation, PulsePoint is available to Los Angeles County at no cost to our organization.”
“This is a perfect example of the ‘connected life’ that provides enormous benefits for all thanks to this very simple concept, which is to alert CPR-trained individuals to a nearby cardiac arrest situation so they may assist until the first responders arrive on the scene,” said Meredith Attwell Baker, President of The Wireless Foundation and President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association. “If you’re CPR-trained, please download the PulsePoint app now to help save a life.”
In addition to the PulsePoint app, the Los Angeles County Fire Department will be launching PulsePoint AED app to help locate and record all public access defibrillators in the county for use during cardiac arrest emergencies. Once validated, these crowdsourced AED will be visible in the PulsePoint app as well as for dispatcher use during emergency calls. The PulsePoint app and PulsePoint AED apps are available on Android and iOS (Apple).
About the PulsePoint Foundation
PulsePoint is a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its mission is to make it much easier for citizens who are trained in CPR to use their life-saving skills to do just that…save lives! Through the use of modern, location-aware mobile devices PulsePoint is building applications that work with local public safety agencies to improve communications with citizens and empower them to help reduce the millions of annual deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. Deployment of the PulsePoint app can significantly strengthen the “chain of survival” by improving bystander response to SCA victims in public settings and increasing the chance that lifesaving steps will be taken prior to the arrival of emergency medical services (EMS) professionals. PulsePoint is built and maintained by volunteer engineers at Workday and distributed by Physio-Control. The original idea came from Richard Price, the former chief of the San Ramon Valley Fire Department, who wanted to bridge the gap between the critical minutes following SCA and the 13 million Americans who are CPR trained, but often don’t know their skills are required. The PulsePoint app is available for iPhone and Android and can be downloaded from the iTunes Store™ and Google Play™. Learn more at www.pulsepoint.org.
