The Los Angeles fire chief recently admitted that over 100 pieces of firefighting equipment have been out of service during the wildfires that have ravaged California. The fire chief also revealed that the LAFD has been consistently pressing government officials for more resources for the last three years.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said in an interview with CNN, “We have over 100 fire apparatus out of service. Having these apparatus and the proper amount of mechanics would have helped. So it did absolutely negatively impact.”
‘I rang the bell that these additional cuts could be very, very devastating for our ability to provide public safety.’
The Daily Mail reported that the LAFD had a total of 183 trucks that are “out of commission” during the wildfires, which the outlet claimed was “more than half of the city’s fire trucks.”
In October, Crowley made a preliminary budget request for 2025-2026 that asked for $96,535,000 to fund a “fleet replacement plan.”
Crowley said in the budget request, “Many vehicles have surpassed their expected service life, leading to increased maintenance costs, reduced parts availability, and potential downtime.”
The LAFD requested more than $1.9 million to restore 16 maintenance positions that were “deleted” in last year’s budget cuts.
Crowley said in her recent CNN interview, “Let me be clear. The $17 million budget cuts and elimination of our civilian positions like our mechanics did and has and will continue to severely impact our ability to repair our apparatus.”
Los Angeles Fire Commission President Genethia Hudley Hayes said the LAFD doesn’t have enough mechanics to fix the equipment.
“Yes, I think the fire department is overwhelmed with what has happened,” Hudley Hayes said. “The cuts have to be taken into consideration in terms of their ability to respond to something like this.”
Crowley told CNN’s Jake Tapper, “We can no longer sustain where we are. We do not have enough firefighters.”
Crowley added, “Over the last three years, we have been clear that the fire department needs help.”
“I rang the bell that these additional cuts could be very, very devastating for our ability to provide public safety,” Crowley declared.
In June, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) approved a city budget of almost $13 billion that included a $17.4 million cut to the LAFD’s budget.
At the time, Mayor Bass said in a statement that the city’s new budget acted as a “reset.” In November, Crowley wrote a memo to the city’s fire commissioners to request more firefighters.
“In many ways, the current staffing, deployment model, and size of the LAFD have not changed since the 1960s,” Crowley wrote. She added that the LAFD has experienced a 55% increase in emergency calls since 2010.
The LAFD has over 3,500 uniformed firefighters and civilian support staff, who respond to 1,368 emergency incidents every day.
In December, Crowley penned a memo to the fire commission that proclaimed the budget cuts had “adversely affected the department’s ability to maintain core operations, such as technology and communication infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention, and community education.”
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection stated that more than 40,000 acres were scorched by the wildfires, plus over 12,300 structures were destroyed. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner confirmed 24 deaths connected to the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Authorities have yet to determine an official cause for any of the fires.
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