Friday Update 6-4-21
Updated On: Jun 25, 2021


FRIDAY UPDATE 
 


Sisters & Brothers,

This week will be a week no LA County Firefighter will ever forget.  Active duty retired Firefighters and those preparing to enter our drill tower and their families were rocked to our core when the unthinkable happened.  

The lives of so many changed forever. Brother Tory Carlon, an amazing engineer, and mentor to so many on our job leaves behind a wife and three daughters. Brother Arnie Sandoval was critically wounded and is still fighting in the hospital. We will be there for him and his family moving forward as he begins to heal both physically and mentally. 
 
There were others in the fire station that day also, who will need support and healing. All of the first responders who had to go to work on the rigs, in the air, the ambulances, law enforcement, and hospital nurses and personal were also impacted heavily by this unthinkable event. We have the best Peer Support Team Members and Behavioral Health Clinicians on the scene. They were the first to arrive and they will be the last to leave to help our members heal. Some will heal faster than others and some will need more time.  

The Union and the Department met and have in place plans for continuous help, including help for those who need a change of work location and time to heal before returning to work.  Everyone in the inner circle has been in contact with Peers Members and Clinicians. We are working with everyone individually to get them back to work when it is right for them. For some, it may be very soon as that work-family balance is critical to their wellbeing, for others it is the time needed away from work.  The Department has been very agreeable and collaborative to provide the time and tools they need liberally. 


CARLON’S DAUGHTERS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION - FAMILY  
 
Last night, we demonstrated why we call ourselves a family. The eldest Carlon daughter graduated from Saugus High School last night. Our LA County Fire Department family showed up in force to make sure she had her Department family to support her. Brother Tory was there in every sense, from wearing her dad’s turnout coat to the hundreds of LA County and law enforcement family members in attendance. Our fire family comes together like no other when we have tragic events, and in this our darkest hour, we showed up in force to be there for those in need.  
Click above to watch the video of the graduation ceremony by Austin Dave. 
PEER SUPPORT AND HEALING WORK - HEALING OUR OWN 

This will never “go away” or “be done.” It will always be with us. We will not forget and we will band together and support each other and our families. 
 
Our Peer Support Team, along with Dr. Steve Froehlich, were on scene from the beginning with our families, firefighters, and fire personnel conducting debriefings with strike teams of engines moved up. They will continue until every person has been reached.  The Peer Support Team, as most know, is our brothers and sisters, trained to a higher level of understanding on how to help facilitate conversations with members and families following incidents.  Those conversations allow personnel to understand the normal impact, feelings, pressures and stressors that will occur and also understand what is beyond normal. We encourage all to access Peer Support. It is confidential and private. They will be there for you whenever and wherever you need them. 

Thank you to the LA County Peer Support Team, Dr. Steve Froehlich and our army of retirees who have jumped in selflessly to help on this incident. Thank you also to the outside agencies from LA City, Orange County, San Bernardino and San Diego County for providing Peers and the support we needed to reach so many.  Special thanks also to Kristine Thompson and Nicole Scott who serve on the California Fire Service Behavioral Health Task Force alongside President Gillotte for helping coordinate our work. And last but not least, to our Lead Peers for their work to coordinate a plan and the resources needed to handle this incident.  

THE NEXT WEEK AND FEW WEEKS 

We will be working hard on all the things needed for services as well as LACERA and insurance and fundraising efforts for the families led by Director Jason Cervantes and our MMT team at the Department and Union. In addition, we have the formal legal investigation in progress with the Sheriff’s Department and other agencies.  We will also be working with the Department and the Board of Supervisors to tackle the hard questions and answers relating to this incident.  
 
We cannot let an incident like this go and not look into it, learn to try and prevent this type of workplace violence. We have many great tools in place and a good foundation to work from, but everyone can be better and we must work to be better.  Now is not the time, but we want our members to know that this conversation is afoot with the IAFF, CPF and Local 1014, and the Board of Supervisors with Supervisor Barger leading the work. More as we continue this conversation in the coming weeks.  

MEMORIAL TIMES AND DATES AND FUNDRAISING EFFORTS 

As we end this week, we will keep you informed on the memorial service for Tory Carlon and the work needed to keep Arnie Sandoval and his family in our care.  Fundraising is happening in a variety of forms. The Local has worked with the F&A Credit Union to set up an account to benefit both families affected by this tragedy. 100% of the funds raised will go to the families of Brother Carlon and Brother Sandoval. See details below. 
 

Los Angeles County Fire Dept Station #81 Memorial Fund Account

Please make checks payable to
LACFD STATION 81 MEMORIAL FUND
F&A FCU
Attn: Aymee Yanesa
2625 Corporate Place 
Monterey Park, CA 91754

Please share the graphic below and encourage your friends and family to donate.
 

As a reminder for those who have asked, we host our General Membership Meeting on the second Tuesday of each month. Our next General Membership Meeting will be this Tuesday, June 8th, at 10:00 am at the Union Hall. We welcome all members to come and voice their concerns and thoughts on how we can improve our workplace safety and move forward and begin to heal. 

LA County Fire Family, including Local 1014 members, Fire Department Personnel in all jobs and in all ranks, and our families have been impacted beyond words by the events of this week.  The Fire Chief and Executive Staff, the Executive Board of Local 1014, the inner circle Fire Fighters and Fire Personnel and Families, the Board of Supervisors, all of us visibly shaken.  

Let us band together and work to look out for each other and communicate with each other. We are an amazing family of proud, hardworking Firefighters and Fire Personnel serving our communities through our own pain. We have been dealt a hand we never thought possible. We need each other now.  

The graduation last night was a shining light of hope and a demonstration of who we are as a fire family. Let’s continue to band together and do the hard work that needs to be done to heal and embrace our work going forward. We will never forget and we have much to learn. We are confident that each and every one of you are part of the healing for our family. 

With Love and Solidarity, 

President Dave Gillotte and the Local 1014 Executive Board 

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