First responders featured in new documentary about January LA wildfires

ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- A new documentary shows never-before-seen footage of the Los Angeles wildfires. It spotlights some of the heroic efforts by first responders battling the Eaton and Palisades fires this past January.

"There was a moment that I thought I was trapped. It looked like a fire tornado up there at the time. I'm driving the Crown Vic, and I can't see. I think I'm going straight, and I'm almost hitting a curb and a tree," a deputy says in one scene, recalling driving through an Altadena neighborhood.

It's one of the intense scenes from the 34-minute documentary, "Resilience," released by the unions representing Los Angeles County first responders -- which include firefighters, deputies, and lifeguards.

The documentary puts you in the fire zone with first responders in the first hours of the Eaton and Palisades fires.

"You know, it just made you think that, within a short 12 hours, a lot of Altadena was burned up," another firefighter said, describing what he saw after the fires were put out.

At a news conference outside the Altadena sheriff's station, union reps for L.A. County first responders said the documentary will hopefully lead to a new deal with higher pay and the hiring of more personnel.

"Coming to the bargaining table, telling our members that there's no money for even a reasonable cost-of-living adjustment. There's no money to address our ongoing staffing crisis. I believe we're, right now, in excess of 1,500 deputies short of full staffing," said Richard Pippin with the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.

While the documentary talks about the need for more personnel, it also talks about the health of first responders and what the lingering effects will or could be for the men and women who responded to the fires.

One firefighter in the documentary described what he and fellow firefighters dealt with.

"We sought medical treatment by getting medicines and breathing treatments that we could use and fix our lungs to keep working," he said.

The head of the firefighters' union says the long-term effects of fighting the Eaton and Palisades fires can be compared to the health issues of firefighters years after the 9/11 attacks in New York City.

"I can say to you, confidently, that it's not a matter of if we're going to have firefighters die from these fires, it's a matter of when," said Dave Gilotte with the L.A. County Firefighters Local 1014. "And I say that solemnly, only because it's the actual truth."

The unions say talks are ongoing with L.A. County, and they haven't reached an impasse.