Updated at 3:45 p.m., March 27, 2015
Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge joined fire officials and representatives of local hospitals Friday to mark the return of a full staff at a Los Feliz fire station that had been running at partial capacity for the last four years.
Fire Station 35 lost an engine and four firefighters in 2011 due to budget cuts, but is now back to a full staff with 14 firefighters, according to LaBonge, who hosted a re-dedicating ceremony for the station.
LaBonge thanked the mayor and other city leaders for helping to secure more funding for firefighters, and said the Los Feliz area needs the full crew because it has the “busiest hospital corner” in the city and is close to brush areas in Griffith Park.
The station covers an area that includes the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center and the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
“It’s important to have that service back,” LaBonge said, not just to fight fires, but also to respond to other emergencies such as earthquakes.
The area had been relying on aid from other fire stations, he said.
The full staffing will allow the crew to conduct engine operations and truck operations at the same time, and to do search and rescue at one time, LaBonge said.