Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Chalfant has voided a $30 million contract that Los Angeles County awarded to L.N. Curtis and Sons for fire equipment. Arcadia-based Allstar Fire Equipment sued the city and county of Los Angeles, claiming the selection process used to award the contract was improperly handled and the judge agreed. The actual funding for the contract came from the federal Department of Homeland Security. The judge's orders require the county to either restart the bidding process or re-evaluate all the bids properly.
Pasadena Fire Department officials spent more than $320,000 to purchase breathing apparatus from distributor L.N. Curtis and Sons, which is at the center of a lawsuit filed by rival equipment company, Arcadia-based Allstar Fire Equipment against the city and county of Los Angeles. 57 self contained breathing apparatus remain unused at Pasadena Fire Station 34 pending a judge's ruling next month.
Allstar Fire Equipment Inc., located on Lower Azusa Road in Arcadia, sells firefighting equipment to fire departments throughout California. Joe Sposato, president of the company, is providing supplies to fight the Williams fire.
City Council will be asked to award a $78,349 contract to Santa Rosa based Special T Fire Equipment for purchase of assorted respiratory protection and air monitoring equipment for use by city firefighters. The apparatus would be paid for by the state under its Homeland Security Grant Program.
Firefighters have gained the upper hand on the Santa Anita Fire yesterday after it had burned a total of 584 acres. Officials lifted mandatory evacuations throughout the area. A timeline of the fire is on page 11.
A house fire on Canyon Road in Arcadia caused about $1 million in damage. Photographs show the home and firemen Michael Baily (Monrovia Fire Department) and Craig Stogner (Arcadia Fire Department).
Arcadia firefighters help with preventive measures near the Cleveland National Forest in fire-ravaged Silverado Canyon. A photo and caption accompany article about wildfires in California.
The family of Captain Jerry Broadwell, who died while fighting a fire in August, is suing the company whose building was gutted for storing flammable material in an illegal and careless manner. See VF "Broadwell, Jerry (1928-1975)" for a hard copy.
The city has taken a second pumper truck out of service following a July 4 incident in which a water pump failed to engage on a fire truck. The two engines that malfunctioned were bought from Kovatch Mobile Equipment Fire Apparatus. David Contreras died in the July 4 incident. See related story, Arcadia Weekly, July 11, 2002, p. 8.
A Monrovia firefighter, Fernando Rodriguez, 41, shot his wife, Katherine Rodriguez, and then himself in the parking lot of City of Hope National Medical Center. Arcadia and Los Angeles County fire teams watched over Monrovia after all Monrovia fire personnel were called in to hear the news.
A group of Arcadia firefighters who had gone to New York City to help after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were so profoundly affected that they organized a fundraiser to benefit widows and orphans of the New York Fire Department and Arcadia Fire Department. Those who went were Captain Hutcheson, Captain Trabbie, John Beveridge, Craig Stogner, Cody Cerwin and paramedic Mike MacGregor.
Methodist Hospital's 14th annual Crystal Ball at Santa Anita Park raised about $90,000 to buy state-of-the-art CT scanning equipment and funding for equipment needs in the new maternal child health care center.
Arcadia Fire Department's annual Strategic Plan received unanimous approval Tuesday night by Arcadia City Council members. Fire Chief Pete Bonano presented the plan which outlines the department's major goals and provides the road map of resources, ensuring the department meets the city's fire and safety needs.
Best Disposal was awarded the residential trash contract in Arcadia by the City Council on October 15. The action was taken despite the objections of the owner of a competing trash service as to the manner in which the contract was awarded.
A plan for a joint fire dispatch center to serve the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia, El Monte and Sierra Madre was unanimously voted down by the Arcadia City Council.