NFPA Journal - Spring 2023 - 25

other structures, and result in
deaths or injuries. They can
also spark wildfires; according
to the Los Angeles Times, the
2017 Skirball Fire was traced
to a cooking fire in one of the
city's ravines, and the resulting
wildland blaze spread through
Bel-Air, destroying six homes
and damaging a dozen more.
" Because of Los Angeles'
topography, people experiencing
homelessness are not
only on our streets, but they
are also living in dangerous
situations in our riverbeds,
mountainsides, washes, vacant
buildings, and recreational
vehicles, " said Cheryl Getuiza,
LAFD's director of Public
Information and Government
Affairs. As an indicator of the
situation's urgency, newly
elected LA mayor Karen Bass
used her first day in office, in
December, to declare a state
of emergency over the city's
homeless problem.
More Homeless,
More Fires
From 2016 to 2020 (the last
year data was available),
the estimated population of
homeless people in the US
grew from roughly 550,000
to more than 580,000, an
increase of about 5.5 percent.
The share of people
experiencing homelessness
who live " unsheltered " has
also increased significantly
in recent years. In 2016, 32.1
percent of the US homeless
population lived unsheltered;
in 2020, that share had risen
to 38.9 percent.
Globally, an estimated 150
million people are homeless
today, compared to about
100 million in 2005-a 50
percent increase in the past
17 years.
Bizal, who also lives in
California, shared similar
evidence of the regularity of
homeless-related fires-and
not just in Los Angeles. " When you drive along
the freeway in San Diego, you notice that between
almost every exit, on the embankment, there are
burn scars where someone maybe had a tent and
a fire, " he said. " It's very visible. " LAFD has also
observed fire being used as a weapon among the
homeless population, Getuiza said- " unfortunately,
we have seen fires start as a result of arguments
that have escalated in our unhoused communities. "
To combat the growing number of homelessrelated
fires, the LAFD has taken major steps in
recent years toward reaching out to the Los Angeles
homeless community by providing fire safety
education and even medical care.
In 2015, the LAFD launched a fleet of pickup trucks
outfitted with 300-gallon water tanks known as Fast
Response Vehicles (FRVs), which traverse the city to
quickly respond to an emergency before an engine,
truck, or ambulance arrives. Understanding the need
to provide additional resources to people experiencing
homelessness, the department diverted two of
the resources to specifically offer fire safety education
to community members, including people experiencing
homelessness, as well as fire suppression in
areas where a large fire engine might struggle to get
to. Skid Row, a notorious and enormous homeless
encampment in downtown LA, has its own FRV.
Recognizing the medical needs of many people
SOURCES: The National Alliance to
End Homelessness, United Nations
experiencing homelessness,
in 2016 the LAFD started
also staffing specialized units
called Advanced Provider
Response Units (APRU) with
nurse practitioners or physician
assistants paired with a
firefighter/paramedic. These
resources allow for a higher
level of care on-scene, reducing
ambulance transports to
emergency departments in
addition to clearing patients
to be sent via taxi to the hospital.
They also connect patients
with social workers and other
various city agencies to assist
with their long-term well-being
and permanent housing.
" Over the years, our members
have gotten to know
certain unhoused individuals
by name, " Getuiza said. " At
first, these communities can
be a little skeptical, but when
our members are there on a
daily basis, talking to them,
engaging with them, they are
eventually welcomed. "
Models similar to the
LAFD's approach exist at fire
departments and other emergency
response agencies throughout the country,
and it's this kind of outreach that experts say is key
to addressing the fire problem among people experiencing
homelessness.
" A part of any good community risk reduction
program is identifying and addressing safety challenges
among at-risk populations, " said Karen
Berard-Reed, a senior community risk reduction
strategist at NFPA. " If a community is seeing a large
or rising number of fires in homeless encampments,
for example, efforts should be made to reach out to
and educate those communities on fire safety. "
Faced with the nearly 450 percent spike in homeless-related
fires from 2019 to 2021, Portland Fire &
Rescue in Oregon has started partnering with homeless
advocacy groups in the city to distribute fire
safety education materials that warn of the dangers
of lighting candles or having any kind of open flame
inside tents. " You can have a warming fire, we just
ask that you do it in a safe manner, " a fire department
spokesman told reporters in October 2021. " Keep the
fire in a metal container at least 25 feet away from
anything flammable. "
In Taylors, South Carolina, firefighters didn't need
to see any troubling fire incident trends to take action.
With a population of about 23,000 and a poverty rate
below the national average, homeless-related fires
weren't exactly rampant in Taylors. Even so, when local
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NFPA Journal - Spring 2023

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