International Firefighters Day. Check out 10 years of Fire Station 63 photos by Venice Paparazzi – Venice Paparazzi | Venice Beach CA, Photo Agency, Community Info, News, Events

A big fist bump to all the excellent folks city wide at LAFD, and an extra high five to fire fighters at Venice’s Fire Station 63. Thank you for all you do, Venice loves you!

Check out 10 years of Fire Station 63 photos taken between 2009-2019 by Venice Paparazzi, as well as the history of LAFD.

Following info from Los Angeles Fire Department website!

The Los Angeles Fire Department is a full-spectrum life safety agency protecting more than four million people who live, work and play in America’s second largest city.

LAFD History: The history of the Los Angeles Fire Department is one of the most unique and inspiring in U.S. fire service history. An all-volunteer department for nearly two decades in the mid 19th Century, the department became an official agency of the City of Los Angeles on February 1, 1886.

THE ORIGINS OF THE LAFD. In the mid 1880s, the City of Los Angeles could go several weeks without a fire. On the morning of February 1, 1886, the eight “firemen” at 26 Plaza had no expectations of alarms. It was just another day in the growing little community of Los Angeles. But this day was different. This was the day the city officially began paying firefighters – the true birthday of the Los Angeles Fire Department. For 15 years prior to this day, up to 380 men had volunteered their services to the city as firefighters.

On February 1, 1886, 31 firefighters, including a Chief Engineer, and an Assistant Chief, entered the city’s payroll. In addition, 24 reserve (on call) firefighters stood by, knowing that their part-time responsibility was to respond to any fire in their district. At that time, Los Angeles had 35,000 residents and many carried hand guns. In fact, three shots fired into the air was a typical signal of a discovered fire. Getting anywhere in the 30 square miles that made up the city took only a few minutes, but already, the signs of rapid expansion were visible on the horizon. The Southern Pacific Railroad had determined that Los Angeles would become one of its larger hubs, and people were flocking to town, looking for jobs and opportunity.

Los Angeles has always had a unique take on firefighting. Even in the early days, individuals who found firefighting to be an exciting lifestyle were making their mark. One of the the most popular volunteer companies (and a paid company after 2/1/1886) called themselves the Original thirty-eights, Engine Company Number 1. They held their own fund-raising events, and the city considered their activities to be major civic events. Today, Los Angeles still refers to its fire stations in the plural – Engine 86s, or simply, 86s.

Today, the Los Angeles Fire Department responds to more than 1,300 emergency responses every day. Approximately 3,200 uniformed members protect over four million people, and the department transports more than 600 people to area hospitals every day. To learn more about the history of the department, you can also visit the online archives, as listed here in the LAFD website.

For more info: www.lafd.org

Join losangelesfiredepartment and Venice’s Fire Station 63 on IG!

Following from firefightersday.org

International Firefighters’ Day (IFFD) is observed on May 4. It was instituted after a proposal was emailed out across the world on January 4, 1999 due to the deaths of five firefighters in tragic circumstances in a wildfire at Linton in Victoria, Australia.

International Firefighters’ Day (IFFD) is a time where the world’s community can recognize and honor the sacrifices that firefighters make to ensure that their communities and environment are as safe as possible. It is also a day in which current and past firefighters can be thanked for their contributions.