Supporting key projects that equip and protect Los Angeles firefighters.
Improving firefighter health, safety and wellness.
Enhancing firefighters' ability to perform their life-saving duties.
Expanding the resources needed to protect life, property, and the environment.
Urgent funding needs requested and informed by LAFD leadership.
The Challenge: In 2023, Metropolitan Fire Communications (MFC or “Metro”), which fields all the city’s 911 calls, received over 500,000 calls for service. Dispatchers rely mostly on caller descriptions, which can inaccurately represent the nature of the incident and lead to the misallocation of resources.
The Solution: The LAFD has proposed integrating Metro with video-aided dispatching technology. This will help dispatchers visualize the incident and enhance the LAFD’s ability to dispatch appropriate resources, improving response times and increasing public safety.
The Challenge: Eighty percent of the LAFD’s annual 911 calls are for emergency medical services (EMS). Many of these transports involve low-acuity patients who do not require emergency room admission, compounded by the high number of incidents involving people experiencing homelessness, which strains LAFD resources and impacts ambulance availability.
The Solution: The LAFD launched Advanced Provider Response Units (APRUs) to address this issue. Each unit pairs a paramedic with a nurse practitioner to provide on-scene care and reduce hospital transports. With proven success, equipping the existing APRUs with necessary medical equipment and medications will continue to decrease ER congestion, improve patient outcomes, and lower healthcare costs.
The Challenge: Structure fire helmets are designed to minimize head and neck injuries, deflect falling objects, and protect firefighters from hazardous debris. After a 2022 helmet purchase, the LAFD received widespread feedback that firefighters were facing challenges with the new helmet’s weight, eye protection, and adjustable straps. Helmets’ design, materials, and features are all engineered with safety as the priority, and even the slightest issues increase the probability of injuries or malfunctions.
The Solution: Recognizing the critical role that structure fire helmets play in a firefighter’s personal protective gear, the LAFD has made it a priority to reevaluate and upgrade these essential components and has requested the LAFD Foundation’s assistance to purchase new helmets with increased functionality.
The Challenge: The City of Los Angeles is comprised of a vast region with varying terrains, which can lead the LAFD into remote areas, including “dead zones” where connectivity is unattainable. This prevents firefighters from using cell phones, iPads, and other technology that requires an internet connection for communications and operations.
The Solution: The LAFD wants to outfit every apparatus that typically deploys to these remote areas with a Starlink, a device that provides high-speed internet no matter the location. This will ensure that firefighters maintain critical connectivity and vital communications whenever and wherever they are deployed.
The Challenge: Live fire drills are a helpful tool for hands-on firefighter training and incident simulations. But major disasters like earthquakes and wildfires can be challenging to replicate or reproduce for training and educational purposes.
The Solution: Simtables, or tabletop simulations, support firefighter training by providing a safe and controlled environment to practice decision-making, communication, and coordination under pressure. This technology eliminates the risks and minimizes the costs associated with live fire training and can simulate simple to complex fire situations, from high-rise structure fires to urban wildfires.
The Challenge: Los Angeles will host the World Cup 2026, Superbowl 2027, Olympics and Paralympics 2028 – four of the most significant sporting events in the world. The LAFD is responsible for the safety of all involved as these major sporting events unfold. Traditional trucks and engines are cumbersome for spaces where significant crowds and rough terrain can make navigation and swift response challenging.
The Solution: Smaller, more compact apparatus are critical to LAFD operations. Having additional Polaris as part of the LAFD’s small apparatus fleet will ensure a compact, durable, and agile solution for navigating rugged terrain, reaching remote locations, and efficiently transporting personnel and equipment.
Tools and equipment priorities that are more critical during fire season.
The Challenge: Larger apparatus like fire trucks and engines cannot easily access challenging terrains and high-risk areas, which are more often prone to fires. These critical vehicles being pulled away for smaller incidents directly impacts Department efficiency and the effective utilization of LAFD resources.
The Solution: Skid units consist of a motor, high-powered water pump, 200-gallon reservoir, and 200 feet of hose, each of which easily transform a standard Department pickup truck into a versatile firefighting resource. The LAFD is requesting the Foundation’s help outfitting six existing brush patrol pickups with new skid units.
Department vehicles and large equipment items that support LAFD efficiency and effectiveness.
The Challenge: As a largely urban fire department, the LAFD usually has the benefit of readily available water sources. But due to the sprawling nature of the city, firefighters do not always have access to the resources required to effectively combat blazes, especially in areas with limited water infrastructure.
The Solution: Access to water is a critical element of fire suppression, and water tenders are essential for supporting firefighting efforts, especially in remote or wildland areas. These heavy-duty apparatus can transfer water to other engines or be used directly to extinguish fires, improving LAFD mobility and accessibility.
The Challenge: Firefighter training exercises, like simulating fire suppression, involve substantial water use. Thousands of gallons could be used for a single hour of training, which has significant environmental and water conservation impacts.
The Solution: In a severe drought region like Los Angeles, water conservation is critical. The LAFD is requesting the Foundation’s help to secure four Pump Pod™ units. This special equipment enhances the firefighter training experience while capturing and recirculating the water that has already been used, helping the LAFD preserve millions of gallons of water annually.
Collaborating with LAFD leadership to address urgent needs and provide long-term support.
The Adopt-A-Fire-Station (AAFS) program aims to maintain the operational quality of the equipment and appliances in each of the LAFD's 106 fire stations. These stations serve as a second home for the members who live and work there 24/7. The constant use of equipment and appliances results in an increased need for repairs and replacements. One hundred percent of every dollar donated to the AAFS program goes directly to support the donor's selected station. General donations to the program support a pool of funding for underserved LAFD fire stations, or stations that lack financial support from their community to address their needs.
The LAFD Foundation supports four youth programs: Camp S.P.A.R.K., the Youth F.I.R.E. Academy, the LAFD Cadets, and Fire and EMS Magnet High Schools. These programs introduce students to fire service careers through hands-on activities, building leadership, teamwork, and confidence - skills applicable to all areas of life. These programs also help create a diverse recruitment pipeline for the LAFD, supporting the Department's efforts to hire local candidates.
For more information about the items or programs highlighted above, please contact:
The LAFD Foundation supports the LAFD in protecting life, property, and the environment by providing essential equipment and funding programs to supplement city resources.
Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
.png.webp)
