"We Ran Out Of Equipment": County Fire Officials Raise Awareness Of Funding Challenges

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles County Fire Department held a public meeting Thursday to raise awareness of the challenges it is facing.

Chief Darryl Osby, joined by firefighters and paramedics at Station 14 in South Los Angeles, talked about the impact aging equipment had on the department.

"Not only did we have to allocate resources to the Woolsey Fire, but we still needed to assure that we had resources here to protect the rest of the county — via 175 stations — 2,300 square-miles," he said. "We had dedicated men and women coming to work to help, but we ran out of equipment."

He also said more than half of the equipment being used in emergencies is at least 20 years old — some are even older.

The meeting was part of a public awareness campaign to find money to bring the department's equipment up to date. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is supporting the effort.