Firefighter Specialist Savko passed away on March 7, 1995 at the age of 42. He was last assigned to Fire Station 107 in Santa clarita.

Fire Suppression Aid (FSA) Christopher Herman tragically lost his life, alongside FSA Arthur Ruezga, while battling the Glen Allen Fire in the foothills above Altadena.

The Glen Allen Fire started as a vehicle fire that quickly spread to nearby brush in the afternoon of Friday, August 20, 1993. The Los Angeles County Fire Department worked with the U.S. Forest Service to battle this wildfire. FSAs Ruezga and Herman, along members of Crew 2-2, responded to the incident by helicopter from Fire Camp 2.

Approximately 35 minutes into their work, crew members paused to evaluate the fire, assess options, and weigh safety measure considerations. The decision was made to engage on a very rugged and steep piece of downhill terrain, cutting along an underslung line. Tragically, the crew was burned over, taking the lives of FSAs Herman and Ruezga, and critically burning two other crew members. Five others narrowly escaped unharmed.

The Fire Department family vowed to never forget that fateful afternoon; the courage and sacrifice of FSAs Herman and Ruezga have not been in vain or forgotten as well as their strength and resilience.

As a result of the Glen Allen Fire, there have been many updates and improvements in the way the Department trains, responds to, and handles wildland incidents.

Firefighter Cooper passed away on October 10, 1992 at the age of 49.

His colleagues at the Engine 9 firehouse called him the “Tasmanian Devil,” because when Engineer James Howe fought a fire, he really fought. “He was very aggressive, highly motivated,” noted Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman. “He would be completely covered with soot,” said Los Angeles County Assistant Fire Chief Jim Ryland. “He had the results of the fire on him–and at the end, there would always be a smile on his face.”

With 22 years in the department and three commendations for valor and public service, the 47-year-old Newhall resident had enough seniority to opt for one of the less-active fire stations. But that was not for the gung-ho “Tas.” Despite having to commute an hour in his beat-up Datsun pickup truck to his station in South-Central Los Angeles, Howe was proud to remain in the busiest unit–Battalion 13.

Investigators have ruled that the fire was an arson and that his death was a homicide.

Howe, who drove the engine, was one of six county firefighters injured January 9th when an overhanging roof façade collapsed on them as they scrambled across a second-floor balcony of a burning mini-mall. He was pinned under the collapsed roof for about 20 minutes, within a few feet of the flames.

Howe began his firefighting career in 1968 after serving two years as a military policeman in Vietnam. He became the kind of firefighter who would storm into a smoky bedroom in a burning apartment and carry out an unconscious 7-year-old boy. He received his first commendation for that rescue, accomplished on April 29, 1975.

He was the kind of firefighter who would spot a teenage gang member taking a bike from a 11-year-old deaf-mute boy outside the firehouse, call the Sheriffs and hold the gang member until deputies arrived. He received a second commendation for that, on April 13, 1982.