On March 9, the LAFD Fire Prevention Bureau held its all-member summit for 2026, and honored two employees for excellence. It was the bureau’s 19th annual summit.
Each year, members of the Los Angeles City Fire Dept.’s Fire Prevention Bureau gather to share knowledge, tackle challenges and celebrate successes. At this year’s gathering, held in the Harold M. Williams Auditorium at the Getty Center, Recognition of Excellence Awards were presented to Management Analyst Andrea Lao and Capt. I Alfred Kuzichev.
The Fire Marshal’s Award of Excellence was established to acknowledge members who have distinguished themselves by their consistency, contribution, and dedication to the mission of the Bureau, the Department, and the public. Awards are presented to a Sworn and Civilian deserving of such recognition.
The Club congratulates Capt. Kuzichev and Lao on being honored.
This year’s summit was organized by Gilda Reyes, Secretary in the LAFD’s Fire Prevention Bureau.
About Andrea Lao
Andrea Lao began her City career Oct. 31, 2016 as a Management Assistant with Public Works/Contract Administration. In that role, she monitored LADWP construction projects for prevailing wage violations to ensure workers received proper compensation. In April 2019, she was promoted to Management Analyst within the same section.
In March 2021, she transferred to Public Works’ Certifications Section. Her work there involved evaluating and processing applications for Local Business Enterprise, Local Small Business, and Minority/Women-Owned Business certifications, which helped businesses qualify for more bidding opportunities with the City.
Since August 2022, she has served as the Management Analyst for the LAFD;s Cannabis Unit. This position has allowed her to support her unit’s Captain and Inspectors, while contributing to projects that benefit the department as a whole.
About Capt. I Alfred Kuzichev
This July, Capt. Alfred Kuzichev will have 24 years of service with the LAFD. He follows in his uncle’s footsteps as a second-generation L.A. City Firefighter whose family roots extend in LA for more than 75 years and is one of only five FrRussian-speaking members on the LAFD.
During his career, he has been assigned to the Mid-City, Century City, Venice Beach, and Hollywood communities of Los Angeles. He was promoted to Fire Inspector for a year and then went on to be promoted to Captain. For the last three-and-a-half years. Capt. Kuzichev has been assigned to the Fire Prevention Bureau’s Central Industrial Unit and is responsible for the Oil Wells Unit, whose Inspectors maintain the nearly 1,200 oil-producing wells throughout LA.
Besides work, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife of nearly 22 years, Andrea, and his two daughters, Maddy and Abby, one of whom is a freshman in college and the other, a freshman in high school. He volunteers at church and tries his best to continue to keep an LA City Fire tradition alive by playing handball.
He was humbled to receive the Fire Marshal’s Recognition of Excellence Award.
