Blazes spark an interest in firefighting

The wildfires that scorched Southern California last week convinced Michael Morris that fighting fires is something he wants to do.

"The community has a need for firefighters," said Morris as he sat in a cavernous gymnasium near Elysian Park waiting to hear a recruiting pitch from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

"I'm looking for a career change," said the marketing manager, who lives in Westminster.

"I want to be one of those who have the heart to put their lives in danger every day."

As historic wildfires continued to blaze across Southern California, the department held its quarterly recruitment seminar Saturday.

With many people away fighting the wildfires -- about 25 at last count -- the department had fewer on hand to run the seminar and fewer to spread the word.

About 250 potential recruits showed up.

Morris listened as speakers emphasized the rigors of firefighting and the need for a lifestyle free of bad credit and substance abuse.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa arrived to say the city is hiring "a new generation of firefighters who reflect the city they serve."

Indeed, these are days of enormous change at the Fire Department.

During the 1990s, it lacked the budget to hire enough firefighters to keep up with attrition, said Bruce Whidden, a city spokesman.

But with an aging force, hired mostly in the 1970s, and a new retirement plan, firefighters have been retiring at an unprecedented rate.

Meanwhile, the department is building more fire stations and adding ambulances and more people to firetrucks.

At the City Council, Whidden said, "There's the political will to grow the Fire Department and police."

Since 2002, the department has hired 250 firefighters a year, enough to maintain a stable force of about 3,500 sworn personnel, Whidden said.