LAFD Station 9: Meet the fire station helping the homeless on Skid Row

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Friday, January 17, 2020
Meet the LAFD fire station helping Skid Row's homeless
LAFD Station 9 is on the busiest in the nation and is on the front lines of the state's homelessness crisis.

SKID ROW, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles Fire Department's Station 9 is one the busiest in the nation and the area it services is Skid Row.

During the course of several months, ABC's Matt Gutman spent time with firefighters working on the front lines of the state's homelessness crisis for a "Nightline" exclusive look at the daily operations at the station.

Gutman witnessed firefighters responding to overdoses, homeless camp fires and dramatic efforts to save lives.

LAFD Station 9 averages about 80 calls a day, and many of the 7,000 homeless people living on Skid Row rely on them as their primary health care provider.

Often the hardest factors to deal with is mental illness.

The crew at Station 9 says they treat people without bias because their patients are human beings. And their mission is always to help people.