The Eagle Rock can be seen clearly from the 134 Freeway (Creative Commons).

The L.A. Fire Department's urban search-and-rescue team was not out saving Angelenos from the city's perils on Thursday. Instead, rescue workers took turns repelling down the iconic Eagle Rock with a buffer in-hand to tackle graffiti that has bothered residents for months.

The idea - drawn up by Councilman Jose Huizar - allowed search-and-rescue to couple the clean-up with a training exercise. It may not be what the team normally does, but recent budget shortfalls have forced the taskforce to cut back on things like training regiments for its new recruits.

So, were they successful in cleaning the rock? Watch the video below to find out.

LAFD Search-and-Rescue Gets a Clean-up Job from Benjamin Gottlieb on Vimeo.

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