Countywide : 75 Firefighters Fought Riot Blazes

More than 75 Ventura County firefighters were sent to battle arson fires across riot-torn Los Angeles County last week after overtaxed officials put out a call for help after the Rodney G. King case verdict, Ventura County Fire Department Chief George Lund said Tuesday.

The firefighters, unaccustomed to working under the dangerous conditions during the riot, learned valuable lessons that will be incorporated into future training, Lund said in a report to the Board of Supervisors.

“There were a few situations where they were thrown into ambush situations,” Lund said. “We learned that we have to prepare our people to be more aware of those types of situations.”

Three strike teams--each consisting of five engines and a battalion chief--worked lengthy shifts in Compton, Lynwood and Long Beach as thousands of fires burned across Greater Los Angeles, Lund said. The county firefighters worked with police escort, but still encountered sporadic gunfire, rock-throwing and verbal confrontations with angry rioters, Lund said. None were injured, he said.

“It didn’t seem to be an issue that they were from Ventura County,” Lund said. “The people who were in that riot didn’t really care where they were from.”

Officials in Los Angeles called in the firefighters under the Master Mutual Aid Program, a statewide network of fire agencies that assist each other during emergencies, Lund said.

Firefighters from Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties have often been called to battle Ventura County brush fires under the program, Lund said.

Although there is usually no repayment for the service, Lund said the County Fire Department could be reimbursed for its efforts because the area has been declared a state and federal disaster.