Search and Rescue Operations in California During Flooding » Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County agencies experienced most of their major problems in January, although several rescues were made during the March flooding. Riverside and San Bernardino Counties experienced flash flooding as well, particularly in the their eastern areas.

Prior to 1992, individuals from numerous agencies in the Los Angeles basin had taken Swiftwater Rescue Technician (TM) training, or had participated in in-house programs on river rescue.

However, the 1992 floods revealed the lack of area-wide preparation. Vast areas of the Sepulvada Basin suddenly went underwater, trapping large numbers of motorists in their cars. In another horrifying incident, a 15-year-old boy, Adam Bischoff, drowned after managing to stay afloat while being swept down nearly 10 miles of the flood control system, which contains more than 400 miles of channels.

As a result, a joint agency task force was founded not only to meet training needs, but to establish standards for equipment and pre-plan for future problems. The task force consists of law enforcement, fire, and lifeguard agencies from the city and county.

After instituting training and national certification for instructors, those same instructors trained more than 3,000 personnel as technicians or first responders.

Los Angeles Fire Department swiftwater instructors Ernesto Ojeda and Jim Goldsworthy prepared detailed maps of the 470-mile flood channel system and prepared references for preferable rescue techniques at potential rescue sites. Working with analyst Kathy Evansen, they then created a computerized dispatch system to allow dispatchers to match rescue assets with location, depending on where a victim enters the particular flood channel and the amount of water flowing.

In January, and again in March 1995, Los Angeles County received more rain than the average yearly total! In both months, despite the huge amount of water, the Swiftwater Rescue Task Forces were pre-positioned, evacuating hundreds of people and making more than 40 swiftwater rescues. There were still five fatalities, including a car that went off the Pasadena Freeway into the Arroyo Seco channel, and a transient who died after being washed away in a flood channel in the Sepulvada Basin.

Next » Ventura County