Fires, as you probably know, are a very common yet serious thing in our community. Did you know that we have some of the busiest fire stations in our own LA county in the World? The LA county fire department is the third busiest department in the US. Station 9 is the busiest station in the US, located in east LA, Central Bureau, and station 33 located in the Antelope Valley is the fifth busiest station in the US. Both stations are in the LA county fire department. The 3 Operations Bureaus of LACoFD serve 59 cities and all unincorporated communities with 22 Battalions and 9 Divisions. Each Division is commanded by an assistant chief who is the Division Commander and each Battalion is commanded by a Battalion Chief who is the Battalion Commander. 

Besides the facts, firemen are very important and are highly honored in our community. They do more than just put out the fires. They are the ones that are responding to every 911 call whether it is someone having a heart attack, or a little kid stuck in a tree, firemen are always there. 

Like being on a sports team, a fire station has its so-called different positions each playing a crucial part to daily life saving. Now that I’ve gotten information from sources around, I wanted to interact and go straight to the source, so I interviewed a local fireman. This local fireman is the captain at station 33, the fifth busiest station in the US, and I also have the privilege to call this fireman my stepdad, Robert Metro. He comes from a “fire family” and followed in his dad’s footsteps and became a fireman as well. He has been in the fire department for 20 years and has seen the department go through many trials and tribulations but has also had some fun along the way. 

Captain Metro explains how extremely crucial it is for everyone in the station to work as a team and always to be on the same page. Most calls that they go on cannot be done by one single person, and if not everyone is on the same page it can cost someone’s life. 

He describes his job as, “A huge responsibility, but it’s awesome!” He is very thankful for his captain position and is thankful for every man he has working on the job and for all the talent and dedication every firefighter puts into their line of work. Being a firefighter takes a lot of courage and perseverance. I don’t think we realize how much firefighters do for us and for our community. I feel safe and comfortable in the Santa Clarita Valley knowing how many great firefighters we have out there putting our lives above theirs’.