In the early morning hours of April 2nd, fifteen people were injured and one killed when a suspicious fire broke out in the Wilmington Hotel. But even in the midst of tragedy, we were given a wonderful example of the kind of care and service embodied by so many of our LAFD firefighters.
An anonymous LAFD Captain, recently made a member of the Chaplain Corps, learned of the incident and the fatality via an LAFD Alert. Even though he was currently off-duty, the Captain drove to the scene to offer help, in case there were any younger firefighters who had not previously been at an incident with fatalities.
It ended up being the residents who truly benefited from his presence. The intensity of the fire meant that many who were in the building rushed out in their pajamas or even jumped out of windows. That plus the hose stream runoff meant that many of the displaced residents had wet or no socks on. The Chaplain happened to have a six-pack of brand new socks among his things, and made sure they were quickly distributed to the residents in need.
While it is often the dramatic imagery of the LAFD in action that define them as heroes, it is the quieter human moments like this Chaplain’s act of kindness that really demonstrate the essential role that firefighters play in our community.