Hatzolah of Los Angeles Enhances Emergency First Response in Jewish Communities

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First Responders Overcoming Cultural Obstacles in Large Cities

Ethnic neighborhoods are common in many of America's cities, and sometimes first responders are faced with language and cultural obstacles as they work to help the citizens of these communities.  In Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States, a unique group of emergency first responders has developed a relationship with the Los Angeles City and County Fire Departments and the Los Angeles Police Department in a successful partnership to overcome these barriers within the city's Jewish neighborhoods.

Hatzolah of Los Angeles Emergency Rescue Team

In Hebrew "Hatzolah" means "To rescue; to save someone's life".  The name is a fitting one for the group of volunteer first responders who work with Los Angeles' fire and police departments in the Jewish communities within the Fairfax, La Brea, Pico, Robertson, and North Hollywood Valley Village neighborhoods and parts of West Hollywood.

Zvika Brenner, Chairman of the Hatzolah of Los Angeles Emergency Rescue Team, explains their role, saying, "We introduce ourselves to the community as first responders, trained and equipped to respond within 90 seconds, an average response of 90 seconds, to any emergency within our community.  The concept is very simple.  You have individuals from within the community responding to emergencies within the community.  We work in the area. We reside in the area.  Chances are that there will always be an individual within a block or two of any potential emergency."

The members of Hatzolah of Los Angeles spent two years planning and training before becoming a regular part of Los Angeles' emergency response team.  Chairman Brenner explains, "After an incident that took place in one synagog where a person collapsed, and if not for two individuals who were trained as Hatzolah members, he wouldn't have made it.  Because by the time the local paramedics showed up it would have been too late.  At that point we were practically pushed into availing ourselves to the community 24/7."

With over 100 neighborhood-placed vehicles, many of them personally owned, Hatzolah is usually the first on scene in Los Angeles and West Hollywood's Jewish communities.  The City of Los Angeles approved four of the vehicles to be outfitted with emergency lights and sirens to be able to navigate traffic as they respond to calls.

Hatzolah - A Valuable Asset to Los Angeles' Fire and Police Departments

Hatzolah of Los Angeles has been a valuable asset to both the police and fire departments in Los Angeles, according to Captain Eric Davis of the Los Angeles Police Department and are always factored into the city and county's operations with regards to incident command. Hatzolah Coordinator Uriel Sigala says, "We have support across the community, and they look to us because it is a unique organization within Los Angeles and California, and it helps them because ultimately we can support some of the needs, it helps them to help in other areas, and it helps them to minimize their costs also to support our community."

Captain Chris Bustamante of the Los Angeles Fire Department says of Hatzolah's members, "They are all trained to emergency certification specifications.  They all know how to work an automatic external defibrillator in case folks are in cardiac arrest and whatnot.  They actually do provide a serious and most valuable asset as far as being able to communicate with the Jewish community."

Explaining the benefits of Hatzolah's extremely fast emergency response capability, Los Angeles County Fire Department Battalion Chief Anthony Marone says, "Sometimes they're right down the street from the incident, so we'll pull up on scene with our paramedics and our engine company, and they'll already be there rendering aid to the victim, and it is a seamless transition of patient care from Hatzolah to the Los Angeles County Fire Department."

Additional Information About Hatzolah of Los Angeles

For more information about Hatzolah of Los Angeles Emergency Rescue Team visit www.hatzolahofla.org.