Boat Fire

LAFD Boat 4, Boat 3 and Engine 49 responded to a well involved 35' cabin cruiser.  The fire completely gutted the interior of the vessel.

Body Recovery MacArthur Park

On December 11, 2012,  Boat 3, Engine 49 and Battalion 6 were dispatched to 2032 Wilshire Blvd for a reported “Drowning” in MacArthur Park Lake at 0706 hours. The initial dispatch, at 0641 hours, included Task Force 11, Rescue 13 and Battalion 11.

Engine 49, Boat 3 and Battalion 6 were dispatched at 0706 hours and were designated as Dive Group. Equipment from Boat 3 including; dive equipment, extra SCUBA bottles, dive communications and the Mesotech Sonar equipment were loaded into Rescue Ambulance 649. Fire Boat Mates from Boat 3 and Boat 4 responded with the Dive Group. At 0754 hours, the LAFD Dive Group arrived on scene.  A Recreation and Parks boat was made available and provided to the Dive Group. 




After it was determined that the incident was strictly a search and recovery operation, in coordination with LAPD, the Mesotech Sonar was assembled and prepared for deployment near the last known location of the victim. The Mesotech Sonar was deployed via boat and relocated three separate times to identify targets and narrow the search area. The sonar search revealed underwater hazards, plumbing and support structures.  Divers encountered zero visibility due to the heavy silt at the bottom of the lake. The dive team cleared the first two targets and located the victim at the third target location. The victim was found in 11 feet of water, 12 minutes after the search was initiated, total dive time was 19 minutes.

The dive team reported that the victim had been located and they initiated the “marking” procedure, with consideration to scene preservation for investigative purposes.

LAPD Detectives and the Coroner’s Office responded to the incident and dictated procedural operations following the locating of the victim. LAPD Divers secured the victim in a body bag for removal from the water. A medical report was completed by RA 13 and the Coroner initiated the appropriate protocol. 

Sinking Vessel

Fire department marine resources responded to a reported sinking vessel.  Upon arriving on scene, 

LAFD Boat 1 found that a 40' Department of Fish and Game vessel "Garibaldi" had been struck mid-ship by a large container barge (in photo background).  The vessel sustained substantial damage and was taking on water.  LA County Lifeguards and US Coast Guard assisted LAFD Boat 1 in successfully mitigating the incident. 

Catalina Training 2012

Helicopter Operations with US Coast Guard

Diving the USS Iowa

Cruise disaster: new rescue diver video shows inside Costa Concordia

Video from within the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship shows a disarray of furniture and abandoned belongings.

New footage from inside the stricken cruise ship has been released, as calmer seas enabled Italian divers to resume their search and rescue operations on the Costa Concordia.

The video, filmed on a diver's helmet camera, shows a dark and chaotic interior of the capsized ship.

The diver's torchlight eerily illuminates sofas, chairs and lighting fixtures within a hallway of the vessel.

Abandoned belongings can also be seen floating in the water.