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From the office of the Chief Engineer . . . . .
January 30, 1981 SUBJECT: "OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESS - DEATH OF A FIREFIGHTER"
A News Conference was held in the Administrative Office of the
Department on the afternoon of January 28, 1981, to update the media on
latest information relative to the fatal fire. All major services
were represented from the radio, television and newspaper industry.
At the commencement of the meeting I read the attached letter to those in
attendance. As you will note, the message is an appeal for the long
overdue recognition of the services you and I provide on a daily basis,
all too often at the expense of our very lives.
JOHN C. GERARD Attached |
This morning at about 4 o'clock my telephone
rang, it was Bob MacMillan, the on-duty Communications Chief, notifying me
of a major emergency fire in North Hollywood. I thanked him and
thought for a moment about the building along Lankershim Boulevard.
Before I cold lay back on the pillow the telephone rang again. This
time Chief MacMillan advised me that the roof of the fire building had
collapsed and possibly injured four firefighters. I advised him I
would respond after the Deputy Chief was on the scene. I turned on
my Fire Department radio and monitored the fire ground activity.
Within minutes Chief MacMillan was on the telephone again with sickening
information that Apparatus Operator Thomas Taylor had been on the roof
with other members of his company when the roof caved in. They
could not locate him and he was presumed to be inside the fire building
under the rubble. I immediately responded to the scene. On the way,
KNX and KFWB Radio Stations both carried news items about the fire.
As I reached Lankershim and Wellington, it was still dark and raining
heavily. Water was running six to eight inches deep in the gutter.
It was cold and windy. The Command Post had been set-up in the
partial protection of a theater marquee across the street from the fire.
Mr. Ezy Burts |
OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESS Page 2 from the Mayor's office was there along
side Al Schultz, the Deputy Chief in charge. Chief Schultz advised
me of all the particulars known to him at the time. We reviewed the
fire fighting procedure and the events that lead to the unfortunate
circumstances. We discussed the details of the inevitable investigation.
I reaffirmed the procedures for notifying the next of kin. In
addition to his wife and children Apparatus Operator Taylor was survived
by his father, Captain George Taylor and his brother, Firefighter Jeff
Taylor, both of whom are active members of the Los Angeles Fire
Department. Tom's mother also needed to be notified. |
The people of Los Angeles have become
accustomed to the protection of a truly great Fire Department but this
Department is laboring under the severe burdens of insufficient manpower,
inadequate budgets, and the parsimonious attitudes of some politicians.
We depend on the Press to cover and report on the dedication, hard work,
and sacrifices made by the firefighters in this City. Without strong
community support, the firefighters of Los Angeles will question the value
of the sacrifices they make. We must have thorough and objective
press coverage to maintain strong community support and thus effective
Fire Department.
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