The Voice of Experience at the Firehouse

Rookie firefighters never know what to make of the grandfatherly man when they first see him walk through their firehouse as if he owns the place.

That’s because for 62 years, Lester R. Fisher, in a sense, has owned the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

He has huddled with generations of fire captains at the scene of major conflagrations--discussing tactics, manpower deployment and knockdown times.

He has been an advisor and a confidant to seven consecutive city fire chiefs, helping them navigate the occasionally choppy waters of Fire Commission and City Council meetings.

He is the only man always dressed in a freshly pressed business suit when he climbs into firetrucks or battalion chiefs’ command vehicles rushing to emergency scenes.

Fisher isn’t a fireman or a powerful political figure. He never has been.

But since 1938--when he introduced himself to the late Fire Chief John Alderson and offered a few suggestions about improving the department’s image--Fisher has been an important presence at headquarters and at stations across the city.

Fisher put out a small fire by himself Friday when he blew out the two candles on a cake that fire officials served to mark his 90th birthday.

But the cake ceremony at City Hall was interrupted as Fisher inquired about the status of a real fire call across town.

The birthday celebration was proof of how Fisher has been welcomed into the inner sanctum of the close-knit firefighter family.

“I’ve been a bachelor all my life, so this became my family. I’m a lucky man; my family has kept me going,” said Fisher, whose memory remains so sharp that he can recall how many fire engines battled a blaze 50 years ago.

A New York native, Fisher developed an interest in firefighting while in grade school--which was next door to a fire station.

“Those were the horse days, and I was fascinated by the way horses could recognize the bells. In 35 or 40 seconds they would be hooked up and out the door,” he said, traces of his New York accent still strong.

He later tried to join the New York City Fire Department but was rejected because he was too small. So, he earned degrees in chiropractic and physiotherapy and began a career as a medical researcher and editor for radio and magazines.

He was also a member of a New York fire buffs club when his job brought him to Los Angeles. Here, he joined a similar group, the Box 15 Club, and soon met local fire officials.

Fisher’s grasp of the firefighting profession and his skill at making suggestions without ruffling professionals’ egos quickly won respect at fire headquarters. Soon he was an unpaid consultant.

“This is a remarkable department. We’re the second quickest department in reaction time in the world. There have not been any scandals,” Fisher said Friday. “Our salvage work after fires is superb: Whether it’s a shack on the Eastside or a Bel-Air mansion, they get the same good service.”

Before the City Hall ceremony, Fisher was honored at a luncheon at the Tam O’Shanter restaurant on Los Feliz Boulevard. With current Fire Chief William Bamattre on his left and former Chief Donald Manning on his right, Fisher reminisced about fires he’d watched them fight. And fires that Bamattre and Manning had only heard about.

“Having Les around is like having a living history consultant to bounce things off of,” Bamattre said. “You’re always going to get a fresh opinion, an honest opinion, from Les.”

It was Fisher who decades ago suggested that the department start notifying the news media of major emergencies. It was Fisher who more recently suggested that the department supplement its telephone dispatching procedure with simultaneous radio broadcasts that all fire engines receive.

That idea saves lives and property on a daily basis, said Assistant Chief Dean Cathey.

“An engine company or rescue ambulance will hear the call and radio back that they’re just passing the location and will take the call,” Cathey said.

These days, Fisher is a frequent visitor to Fire Station 3 near downtown.

Although he now uses a cane, he travels there from his Wilshire district home by bus--the same mode of transportation he usually takes to calls he hears on his city-issued fire radio.

Station 3 firefighters keep tabs on Fisher and give him rides to the doctor on their days off.

Battalion Chief Daryl Arbuthnott recalled how he was a brand-new fireman assigned in 1983 to Station 3 when he saw Fisher climbing into a chief’s car.

“I wondered, ‘Who is this guy?’ ” Arbuthnott said. He soon found out that Fisher was the man the Fire Department relied on to see issues from both perspectives: the inside and the outside.

“Les is a guy who understands protocol, who knows when to stay in the background. He’s a valuable tool. He’s not a hindrance; he’s a help,” Arbuthnott said.

Fisher returned the compliment.

“If I collapse on the street when I leave here today, I’d rather be attended to by one of our rescue ambulances than by a doctor,” he said.