The “Cowboy Firefighter” 
Firefighter Paramedic Jeff Langley Remembered
Last Alarm March 30, 1993 
From LACo Fire Website

With a worldwide legacy of improving helicopter-based delivery of emergency medical and swiftwater rescue services, Fire Fighter Paramedic Jeff Langley was honorably remembered by our Department on March 28, the twentieth anniversary of his untimely passing at the young age of 28. Langley, affectionately known by his colleagues as the “cowboy firefighter” for his love of horses and rodeo roping, lost his life on March 30, 1993, when he fell from the skid of a helicopter during an emergency medical rescue in Malibu while assigned to Air Squad 8. However, both his life and death have since served to save countless lives of both civilians and first responders over the past two decades.

“Twenty years ago we lost a very important person in our family,” said Battalion Chief Steve Martin who served as emcee of the celebration of life. “But his spirit, his work ethic and everything else that surrounded him have continued to this day.”

At the age of four Langley announced to his mother Karen that he was going to be a firefighter, and that calling in him never wavered. After working as a Fire Suppression Aide at Camp 2 for two years, he was officially hired as a firefighter with our Department in 1983, where he became part of the pioneering group of LACoFD employees who developed the “Helo-Swiftwater Rescue” procedures and equipment now being used around the world by the global rescue community. Langley’s tragic passing initiated a number of new safety procedures for Air Operations personnel, including a life-size helicopter prop at Barton Heliport in Pacoima which has been used by not only LACoFD personnel, but thousands of firefighters from all over the State to train in copter-based rescue operations. In fact, the international Higgins and Langley Memorial Awards administered by the National Association for Search and Rescue Swiftwater Rescue Committee, were partially named in his honor.

The ceremony, held at Air Operations in Pacoima, began with the traditional posting of the colors and pledge of allegiance by the Department’s Honor Guard in front of the helicopter prop and he helped develop. Fire Chief Daryl Osby then followed with a tribute to Langley. “I often say that the Los Angeles County Fire Department is not known for its greatness because of our size, but because of the individuals that have worked here and contribute to the history of this organization, and Jeff Langley is no different,” said Osby. “I remember working with him when he was a firefighter in the beginnings of our urban search and rescue (USAR) team. He was instrumental in volunteering and helping with the initial guidelines and now we have a USAR team that’s known across the nation and around the world. Jeff’s contributions have made that team what it is today. Even after Jeff’s unfortunate passing, he’s still contributing to this organization and the fire service as a whole. He’s still in our hearts and his commitment to this organization still lives today.”

Fire Fighter Layne Contreras, who worked as Langley’s partner, noted to the attendees that he was privileged to have been on the last rescue mission with Langley and felt that he had left our Department a better place. Battalion Chief Larry Collins also spoke of Langley’s contributions to our USAR and swiftwater operations, before reading from Los Angeles Times writer Al Martinez’s piece “A Cross Hangs in the Sky,” written in tribute to Langley just after his passing.

Following these tributes, Langley’s mother Karen Langley-Stephen took to the podium to offer her thanks, as well as some words of wisdom to the firefighters in attendance. “Jeff is known best as a hard worker, a great storyteller and a good friend. He worked hard and he played hard,” she said. “I think what I take away from everything he did, whether work related or play related, was that he challenged himself and this was a very important thing to do. When you challenge yourself you keep the bar raised high. You can’t disappoint yourself, because then you let everybody else down. So keep that bar raised high, and challenge yourself, no matter whether it’s work or play.”

At the end of the ceremony, the sounds of a helicopter fly-over intermingled with the solemn notes of “Amazing Grace” played on the bagpipes, a remembrance that though Langley is no longer with us, his work will continue to save the lives of others into the future. “His spirit sees off these helicopters as they take off every morning and come back every day,” said Collins. “And when the USAR teams heads out to anywhere in the country or around the world, he’s seeing everybody off, safely.”

Thomas Paul Grady, 32 years old,  worked for Air America, Inc. from May 29, 1968 until his separation form the company on June 30, 1975. He was a rotary-wing aircraft pilot and was based out of Saigon, South Vietnam. Upon his return to civilian life he became a helicopter pilot with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.On the night of July 24, 1977, a Los Angeles County Fire helicopter (LACO 14, a Bell 205A-1) and the USFS Rose Valley helicopter (H-29, A Bell 212) collided mid-air while inbound to the Mill Creek Heliport on the Angeles National Forest. At the time of the crash, both helicopters were involved in night firefighting activities, dropping water on the Middle Fire and were under contract with the United States Forest Service. Pilots of both helicopters were operating with Night Vision Goggles (NVG). Radio frequencies were saturated, and the pilots had trouble communicating with the helibase manager. The County helicopter (a Bell 205A-1) was piloted by Thomas Grady and Theodore Hellmers, both employees of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The helicopters collided while being maneuvered to land. Grady was killed in the collision and Hellmers suffered severe injuries. (Litigation went on for years.) The two pilots of the Forest Service helicopter (a Bell 212) were also injured but not so severely. The Middle Fire was 3800 acres.​

Last Alarm: July 24, 1977 – 2230 hours – pilot for LA County Fire, under contract with the USFS, flying a Bell 205 helicopter owned by Arizona Helicopters

HACIENDA FIRE