The Los Angeles Fire Department will now operate out of four bureaus around the city, as part of an effort to improve response times, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced today.
Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas called the change “long overdue and critical in our efforts to maintain our position as a highly regarded fire service leader and the community-focused organization we strive to become.”
The Central Bureau, led by Deputy Chief Phillip Fligiel and based at Fire Station 3 at 108 N. Fremont Ave., will cover downtown and the area surrounding it led by Deputy Chief Phillip Fligiel;
The South Bureau, led by Deputy Chief Daren Palacios and based at 638 S. Beacon St. in San Pedro, will cover the harbor area and South Los Angeles;
The Valley Bureau will be based at Fire Station 88 at 5101 N. Sepulveda Blvd. and led by Deputy Chief Daryl Arbuthnott
The West Bureau will be led by Deputy Chief Joseph Castro and based at Fire Station 82 Annex, 1800 N. Bronson Ave.
Garcetti said each deputy chief would be held responsible for improving response times and keeping “in closer contact with their communities while making the city more resilient by aligning emergency operations across departments.”
Each bureau’s performance, including response times, will be evaluated under the FireStatLA program, in which data about fire department activities are collected analyzed.
