A year ago, the commercial-grade stove at the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Station 72, located in Canoga Park, caught on fire. Although it’s still usable, the damage caused by the fire to the stove’s top burners keeps the pilots permanently lit, so that each time a firefighter uses the stove to cook, the windows must be kept open; otherwise, the kitchen fills with smoke.
While the stove is the most extreme example, it’s just one of many items that Station 72 is trying to replace. These include a dishwasher, kitchen faucet, refrigerators and laminate flooring. They also need new silverware, cast iron cookware, bathroom shower doors, drinking glasses, dishes and high-volume, low-speed fans for the garage.
Many of these items have to be paid for by firefighters themselves out of pocket. They’ve been looking to replace the damaged stove, but at an estimated cost of $6,000, they have yet to reach their goal.
Although the department receives aid from other sources, like the LAFD Foundation, that funding is mainly for training and the equipment they use.
And that’s why on Oct. 28, the firefighters held a fundraiser at their station. To attract as many community members as possible, the event doubled as a free pet vaccine clinic.
The fundraiser for the firefighters was organized by Touching the Lives of Americans, an “olive branch corporation” to the Rescue Me Corporation, an organization that rescues, rehabilitates and re-homes abused, neglected, injured and senior animals.
Joy Elyse Nadel, the organization’s founder and CEO, spoke to the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol about the need for the fundraiser, saying, “There are 106 LAFD stations within the LA area, and … there’s a very limited budget. There is a ‘fireman’s fund,’ but if we realistically think about it, there are 106 firehouses going after that [money], so the community needs to get involved because essential items … are not in the budget.”
Nadel first became aware of the issues that Station 72 was facing a year ago during a previous event. She and her husband – Craig Nadel, co-founder and COO of the organization – took a tour of the station and took notes of the essential items it needed.
She found that the mattresses the firefighters were sleeping on were very old, and said the bed frames were put together “with glue and duct tape.” Although the station did recently receive new mattresses, new bed sheets are still needed.
Joy Nadel added that many people are unaware of the financial issues that fire stations, including the one in Canoga Park, are facing, so the first step is to raise awareness.
“This is a really nice station, but when you drive past it, you don’t know it’s a fire station,” Joy Nadel said. “It’s caught in between the gas station … and the mall across the street, so people don’t really know it’s here. So [the event is about] making the community more aware of what’s here in their own backyard and the needs of not only this station, but all of the fire stations.”
The event certainly caught the community’s attention, as the line of pet owners who came to have their furry friends vaccinated stretched outside the station. By the end of the six-hour event, more than 200 dogs and cats were vaccinated.
A handful of celebrities were also featured, including Rusty Coones from “Sons of Anarchy,” actor and professional skateboarder Fabian Alomar and scream queen Sadie Katz.
Funds were raised by collecting donations, selling T-shirts, and holding a silent auction where attendees could bid on several items – including a chocolate fountain, power massager and various pet products – with all proceeds going toward the station.
The organization hasn’t reported how much it’s raised yet, as it’s still collecting donations, but Joy Nadel expressed satisfaction with the day’s turnout.
“We hope that we’ll be doing more in the future,” she said. “This one is kind of our maiden voyage to see how things [went]. … We are definitely hoping to do this maybe twice a year.”
To donate to Station 72, go to https://www.touchingthelivesofamericans.org/about-1.