The men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department warmly welcome your attendance at four public events starting Thursday night with a candle light vigil, that will commemorate the life of Los Angeles Firefighter Jaime L. Foster.
Event details: LA City FD
LOS ANGELES -- An investigation was under way Monday into the death of a Los Angeles firefighter crushed under the wheels of a hook-and-ladder truck as she and colleagues were leaving the scene of a house fire in Encino.
The accident that killed 25-year-old Jaime Foster, who had worked with the fire department three months, occurred shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday.
Witnesses said they saw Foster standing on the back of the truck as it backed slowly out of the 5700 block of Jamieson Avenue. A few seconds later, her body was on the street.
Foster, who is believed to have fallen off a running board, was transported to a Tarzana hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
A Palmdale resident, Foster was the first female firefighter killed in the 133-year history of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Her death was the first on-duty death for the department since March 1998, when three firefighters perished in the crash of a helicopter taking a child who had been injured in an accident to Childrens Hospital.
Mayor Jim Hahn ordered city offices to lower their flags to half-staff in Foster's memory.
"In a very short time, Firefighter Foster served the city with dignity and courage," Hahn said in a statement. "Her tragic loss will be felt throughout the department and the entire city."
A memorial consisting of candles and pictures went up Sunday outside the Reseda fire station to which Foster was assigned, Station 73 on Reseda Boulevard.
Related:
- More Details on Funeral and Related Information from LAFD.org
- Fallen LAFD Rookie 'Gave 110% Every Minute'
- LAFD Firefighter Fatality Following Response To Structure Fire
