LOS ANGELES — On Saturday, March 25, 2006, at 9:07 a.m., 13 companies of Los Angeles firefighters, 20 LAFD rescue ambulances, one deputy chief, four battalion chief officer command teams, one assistant chief officer command team, four battalion EMS captains, a number of fire inspectors, two helicopters for observation, and other LAFD resources under the direction of Deputy Chief Mario Rueda were dispatched  and operated under a unified command with the Los Angeles Police Department and other local, state and federal  agencies, to provide assistance to protesters during a march that started approximately two miles south of downtown Los Angeles on Olympic Boulevard terminating at Los Angeles City Hall.

The protestors proceeded from various locations to Los Angeles City Hall's South Lawn and it is estimated that more than 450,000 individuals participated in the march. Over 120 Los Angeles firefighters and paramedics were located along the protest route to city hall and at city hall as a pro-active measure to help facilitate protester and organizers with any medical emergencies that may arise, help marchers safely reach their destination and leave the impacted area without incident. 

A minor scuffle broke out between opposing groups, but the situation was quickly brought under control by the Los Angeles Police Department. As the peaceful event progressed throughout the afternoon and the impacted area expanded, the Los Angeles Fire Department assisted five to 10 individuals with medical needs ranging from difficult reparations to minor physical injuries; none of the injuries were reported to be life threatening.

The exact number of people treated and/or transported is still being tabulated. The event concluded in approximately 7 hours and 36 minutes and there were no Firefighter injuries.