Firefighter Frank Rodger Hotchkin, age 24, tragically lost his life due to burns sustained after falling through the roof of the Naval and Marine Corp Reserve Center on September 27, 1980 . The fire, which required the efforts of 40 companies and lasted for two and a half hours, proved to be a challenging battle. Firefighter Hotchkin, a member of Task Force 1, was assisting with ventilation on the two-story concrete building with a tile roof when, without warning, a weakened portion of the roof gave way beneath him. The building where this tragic incident occurred, originally a Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center, was subsequently rebuilt and acquired by the City. It now stands as a memorial in honor of Firefighter Hotchkin, known as the LAFD Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center.
