Hundreds Tour Valley’s First 24-Hour Firehouse

Friends and neighbors of the San Fernando Valley’s first 24-hour fire station paid a visit Saturday to old Station 39 in Van Nuys to honor three firefighters who once worked there and died in the line of duty.

Twenty years ago, firefighter Lynn Hazlett was killed while battling a blaze. His son John, who was born two weeks after his father’s death, made his first visit Saturday to Station 39 to witness the dedication of a memorial plaque to his dad and two other firemen.

“I never knew him,” Hazlett said. “All I have are other people’s memories to remember him by.”

Hundreds of guests toured the tidy concrete building where gear was neatly arrayed for viewing. Out front, the streets were lined with generations of fire engines.

Children of all ages touched shiny buttons and levers and got an up-close look at the smiling firefighters.

Station 39 is the largest-staffed station in the city--with 18 personnel on duty each day, Capt. Chris Oelrich said. While his staff served hot dogs, hamburgers, snow-cones and popcorn to visitors, another division covered their area.

“We’re conditionally available,” Oelrich said. “If something big breaks, we would roll.”

Visitors quickly got a true-life demonstration when the Hazardous Materials Team received a call. Smiling faces turned serious as the men swept their gear and truck from the display area and drove off, lights on and sirens wailing.

The station began serving the community in 1917 with volunteers who used a hand-drawn hose at 415 Virginia Ave. The address was later changed to 14415 Sylvan St. Paid firemen replaced volunteers in 1919.

The present firehouse opened July 25, 1939. Since then, it has had at least one face lift and air conditioning was installed.

The three firefighters honored Saturday were:

* Benjamin “Tex” Gause, 42, who on Sept. 9, 1940, became the first San Fernando Valley LAFD fireman to die in the line of duty. Gause died when a speeding motorist collided with his Fire Department car on the way to an emergency.

* James Catlow, who on Nov. 6, 1955, fought a three-day battle against a La Tuna Canyon brush fire. Catlow, engulfed in fire and smoke, stayed at his engine’s pump controls to supply his company with water. He also saved the life of a fellow firefighter.

But Catlow suffered third-degree burns and died six days later. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor.

* Lynn Hazlett, who died in a smoke-filled North Hollywood industrial building on May 12, 1979. Firefighters thought a sprinkler system had nearly doused the blaze, but during cleanup, a huge fireball erupted in a storage area containing chemicals.

Toxic fumes drove firefighters out, but Hazlett, 42, became disoriented, his air supply ran out, and he suffocated. An arsonist was believed to have started the blaze, but was never caught.