BATTALION 14 News & Information

On behalf of all of the members of Battalion 14 we would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt sorrow in learning of the loss of 9 Firefighters who lost their lives fighting a commercial fire in South Carolina.

Our condolences go out to the families and friends of these brave heroes who gave their lives protecting the lives of others. We share in your mourning and we stand by you in your loss.

Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion 14

Work continues on Fire Station 78 in Studio City. The new fire station will be located on Whitsett Blvd. about 2 blocks north of Ventura Blvd. It is one of the 17 replacement Fire Stations being funded and built by the voter approved Proposition F Fire Bond Program. When complete, the 17,250 square foot state of the art facility will be a welcome addition to the community and replace the temporary trailers currently housing Engine and Rescue 78. The original Fire Station 78 was destroyed in the Northridge earthquake.

The Fire Station will be a two story facility with heavy apparatus bays (housing the Fire Engines and Fire Trucks)on the north side of the complex and light apparatus bays (housing the Rescue Ambulance and command vehicles) on the south side of the Fire Station.
The first floor will house the administrative offices, kitchen, and meeting and training rooms.
Dorms, restrooms, Officers quarters, and locker rooms will all be located on the second floor.
The light apparatus bays will house the rescue ambulances and command vehicles.
The heavy apparatus bays will be capable of housing a Task Force consisting of an aerial ladder truck and two fire engines.

The first floor stairwell will also serve as a clock tower with a large clock facing Whitsett Blvd.
Workers continue to construct the CMU walls which make up the light and heavy apparatus bays
Welders working on the second stairwell.

In addition to the two stairwells, the Fire Station will also have two slide poles for the firefighters to quickly travel from the second floor to the first floor.

The heavy and light apparatus bays will be connected to the two story living and working area via hallways and doors.
Additional steel beams waiting to be raised into place.

The Fire Station is scheduled to be completed sometime in the end this year or early 2008.

Mr. Borgnine, who has visited the Fire Station on previous occasions, and is always welcome, recalled his early film and TV days when he stared as Quinton McHale on McHale's Navy and Marty Pilchi in his Academy Award performance in the movie "Marty".

Mr. Borgnine, thanks for the visit and we hope to see you again soon......

On June 3, 2007, Engine 97 was dispatched to an auto fire at 1935 Davies Way. Davies Way is an approximately 800' uphill narrow dedicated street not capable of supporting Department heavy apparatus. It is located in the Hollywood Hills above Laurel Canyon Blvd. Recognizing the address and the problems associated with the narrow street, Captain Jarvis and the crew from Fire Station 97 responded with Engine 97 and Hose Carrier 97. The Hose Carrier is a specially equipped pick up truck loaded with hose, fittings and nozzles, and designed to assist with developing supply and firefighting hose lines up long driveways and narrow roads that Department apparatus can not drive on.When Engine 97 reached the beginning of Davies Way, Hose Carrier 97 laid its 2 1/2" supply line, while the Engine spotted to the pre-planned hydrant. The Hose Carrier was then able to quickly lay out over 700 feet of 2 1/2" supply line up hill, where Captain Jarvis and his crew found a Range Rover well involved with fire extending into the brush.
Firefighters quickly broke the 2 1/2" supply, attached their gated wye, and advanced two 1 1/2" hand lines into the brush achieving a rapid knockdown.Firefighters then focused their efforts on extinguishing the well involved auto, while protecting the structure located 25 feet from where the auto was burning.
Their quick actions and pre-fire planning of the area prevented the potential of a major brush fire in the Hollywood Hills. This incident reinforced the value of Hose Carrier 97 and the significance of pre-incident planning.