‘Voice’ of L.A. Fire Dept. Has Final Words

It’s been nearly 50 years, but Jim Wells still recalls the time, both terrible and enlightening, when a house in his neighborhood was ablaze.

He recalls the people standing outside, sobbing. And more than that, he recalls looking into one of the charred windows and seeing the remains of two young children.

He was 10.

“I always wondered what more could have been done to save those children,” said Wells, who, because of the fog of time, remembers little more of the fire, including whether firefighters were there.

But the imperfect memory became Wells’ impetus to become a firefighter. And from there he moved into a job -- coveted by some, considered thankless by others -- in which he was one of the chief spokesmen for the Los Angeles Fire Department. For 25 years, he was the day-to-day voice of the department; his stint lasted so long that writing tools for reporters have gone from manual typewriters to computers. When he started, the Herald Examiner was still being published and the Daily News was the Valley News and Green Sheet.

For most of that time, Wells answered the telephone in his cubbyhole of an office in the bowels of City Hall East, usually dressed in black pants, white shirt and black tie.

That all ended Wednesday, when Wells, only a few months shy of 60 and his hair showing nary a trace of gray, called it quits and ended a reign that saw him evolve into the man who more often than not would answer the phone when there was an emergency of the moment capturing the attention of the local press.

In a celebration of sorts, Wells held court with the press, receiving them into his small office or answering questions over the phone. As always, he did it with good humor and a slightly sing-song voice that people had come to expect during times of crisis in Los Angeles.

“For several generations, he’s been the voice coming across on the radio,” said Brian Humphrey, another Fire Department spokesman who learned under Wells’ tutelage.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, Wells is reluctant to tell self-centered stories of the many disasters that have befallen Los Angeles over the last quarter-century, ranging from the Los Angeles Central Library fire in 1986 to the Los Angeles riots in 1992 to the Northridge earthquake in 1994.

He prefers, instead, to describe each day as one that will be memorable, usually frighteningly so, for at least one member of the department.

“It’s an important incident to them when they get on a firetruck and put their lives on the line,” he said. “These are the ones who can be burned, injured or killed. It grieves my heart for these individuals and their families.”

Capt. Carlos Calvillo, Wells’ immediate boss, described the longtime spokesman as a legend who is always “shining a light on those in the field.”

Over the years, Wells has developed some key rules in dealing with the media, chief among them being: “If you don’t want to see it, don’t say it.”

He also said he learned a long time ago that there is no such thing as a dumb question from a member of the media.

“And many times,” he said, “once a person asks a question, there were others out there who were afraid to ask. My job was to collect and disseminate information, to let them know we are responsive to their needs.”

Wells said he never played favorites when it came to dealing with the media, no matter how rudely -- or nicely -- he was treated by reporters on deadline.

“I made sure that no matter how rude you were, I’d try to get you the information,” he said. “And no matter how nice you were, I’d try to get the information. My job was to give the information, no matter what the demeanor of the person who called.”

Wells said he has no great plans now that his days as a Fire Department spokesman are over. He’s simply going to take his time finishing up all the projects he’s started over the years.

All day Wednesday, the phone kept ringing, and reporters kept showing up at his door, moving Wells to underline the fact that he’d never given an interview about himself, not in all those years he dealt with the media.

Firefighter Brian Ballton, who will take Wells’ place on the other end of the telephone line when news dictates, said he thought there had been about 200 congratulatory calls during the course of the day.

“He’s seen everything,” Ballton said. “There aren’t too many situations that are new to him. He’s seen it all before.”

Earlier in the day, Wells had been presented with a commendation from the city attorney’s office. But late in the afternoon, he was back in his cubbyhole, finishing his last 15-hour shift. Some of the calls were obviously from well-wishers. But then the phone rang again, and the caller clearly had only a grass fire on his mind.

“We’re not on the scene right now, but we should be shortly,” he said. “If you’ll call back, I can give you some better information.”