Firefighters are known for their three-alarm chili that they cook up in fire stations, trying to out-do each other in the heat department. What may not be well known is that LAFD personnel are on their own when it comes to food, cooking utensils and special amenities to make their 24-hour shifts more enjoyable.
Capt. John Durso, of Fire Station 61 in the Miracle Mile, said the improvements being made by the First-In Fire Foundation are making a big difference at the station. (photo by Edwin Folven)
Coming to their assistance is the First-In Foundation, who make life better by providing funds for quality of life improvements at the stations, and by completing improvement projects. The effort is part of a program that First-In Fire Foundation members hope will expand across the city, where money, time or resources are donated to improve local fire stations. Members of the First-In Fire Foundation also want to help make the fire stations’ look better, and have started at Fire Station 61, which has been located at 5821 W. 3rd St. since 1929.
Lyn MacEwen Cohen, the founding president of the First-In Foundation, and her husband Marc Cohen, chair of the foundation, said the group is currently working with LAFD leadership and the command staff at the three fire stations to schedule the improvements. At Station 61, the plans call for the installation of a fountain in front and improvements to the landscaping. At fire station 52, near Melrose and Western Avenues, plans call for a vegetable garden and fruit trees to be planted; and at Fire Station 27, near Cahuenga Boulevard and Cole Avenue, the large front doors to the fire truck bays will be restored and repainted.
“The ultimate goal is to connect local communities with their local fire stations, and to foster emergency preparedness,” Lyn Cohen said. “We feel there is always a quiet before the danger, and we need to work together to address that danger, and that means knowing your fire personnel, and having them know you.”
The Cohens, who held a fundraiser and reception for the foundation at the Gilmore Adobe last Saturday, said the projects make a big difference for the firefighters, but also improve public perception about the stations and the department. Marc Cohen said the latest work builds upon previous projects at Fire Station 61 completed by the Miracle Mile Civic Coalition, of which he and Lyn are founding members. The civic coalition had done some landscaping at the station and installed a security gate in back, but the new effort will take things to the next level. Marc Cohen added that the idea came shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when he visited New York and met some LAFD personnel who were working near ground zero.
“We asked, ‘what do you need now?’, and from that we learned that we can really help our first responders,” Marc Cohen added.
When the Cohens returned to Los Angeles, they began working with the personnel at Fire Station 61, but began cultivating future plans to get more people involved. Several years later, they formed the LAFD Foundation, which has recently been renamed the First-In Fire Foundation.
Capt. John Durso, a member of the command staff and Fire Station 61, agreed that the effort has made a big difference at the station. He said the station is one of the busiest in the city.
“There are a lot of needs. All of the stuff that makes living here nicer and makes it look a little nicer is paid for by the firefighters. We do a lot planting and maintenance ourselves. A lot of the upkeep, a lot of the larger projects, we are not able to do financially,” Durso said. “We are the face of the fire department in this area, and we get a lot of people coming by. In these economic times, the city has a lot of things to worry about, and there are a lot of fire stations in need of things.”
Lyn Cohen said the First-In Fire Foundation will be partnering with the Hancock Park/Windsor Square Historical Society to raise funding for some of the projects, but the organization is always looking for new partners. For information, call (323)933-8164.
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