Thousands of mourners filled the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Friday
to honor the first female Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter to die in
the line of duty.
Firefighters from as far as New York joined Los Angeles Fire Chief William
Bamattre, Police Chief William J. Bratton and Mayor James K. Hahn and other
dignitaries for the two-hour service honoring rookie Jaime Foster.
A procession escorted the coffin from City Hall to the Roman Catholic
cathedral, where eulogists described Foster as "a driven
professional" who "exuded kindness and friendliness."
Four Fire Department helicopters flew overhead in the fallen comrade
formation, and hundreds of firefighters saluted when the coffin was taken out
of the cathedral at the end of the service for burial at a cemetery in
Lancaster.
Foster, 25, of Palmdale had worked at Fire Station 73 in Reseda for less than
three months when she fell from the back of a hook-and-ladder truck last
Saturday as it was backing up and was crushed.
Officials have opened an investigation into the incident, said fire Capt.
Joseph Castro.
Seventy-one Los Angeles firefighters have died in the line of duty in the
department's 118-year history.