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The chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) warned a month ago that a nearly $18 million budget cut had plunged it into “unprecedented operational challenges” that would hamper its ability to respond to large-scale emergencies. like forest fires.
LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley discussed the budget cuts in a Dec. 4 memo seen by Fox News Digital where she foresaw what she described as the “cascading impacts” the cost-saving measures would have on the department.
The city cut $17.6 million from the LAFD in its latest budget and the decision has come under heavy criticism as several monster fires rage through the county and at least 10 people have already been reported dead. the disaster.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tour the Pacific Palisades downtown business district as the Palisades Fire continues to burn on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES DEVASTATE LOS ANGELES COUNTY, KILLING 5 AND THREATENING THOUSANDS OF HOMES
The budget measures were approved by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, whose leadership has also come under scrutiny, and she has denied that the cuts have hampered the city’s response. The cuts will take effect on July 1, 2024.
Crowley wrote that those reductions eliminated critical civilian positions and about $7 million from the LAFD’s overtime budget, known as “v-hours.”
“These budget reductions have negatively impacted the department’s ability to maintain core operations, such as technology and communications infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention, and community education,” Crowley wrote.
“The reduction in v-hours… has severely limited the department’s ability to prepare, train, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires, earthquakes, hazardous materials incidents, and large public events,” Crowley wrote in the memo. . .
Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful wind storm on January 8, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
PHOTO GALLERY: PALISADES FIRE BEFORE AND AFTER
Several units and teams that rely on v-hours are now at risk of “reduced effectiveness.”
The 21-page memo, titled “Los Angeles Fire Department Service Impacts on Operations,” went into more detail about the effects of the budget reduction. It was presented last month to the Board of Fire Commissioners, a panel of mayoral appointees who oversee the management of the department, according to an NBC report. Los Angeles.
For example, the overtime was used in part to pay for FAA-mandated training for pilots and helicopter coordination personnel for fighting wildfires, according to Crowley’s memo, which was presented to the Board of Fire Commissioners. .
“Without this funding, pilot compliance and readiness are jeopardized and aerial firefighting capabilities are diminished,” the memo reads. “The changes in the Air Operations Section affect the Department’s ability to comply with current mutual and automatic aid agreements, provide air ambulance service, and respond quickly to forest fires with water-launching helicopters.”
Crowley called for funding to be restored.
“This report provides an in-depth analysis of these cascading impacts, underscoring the critical need for resource restoration to ensure operational readiness, firefighter safety, and the delivery of high-quality public services,” he wrote.
Bass was asked about the budget cuts at a news conference Thursday and denied that the cuts would diminish the city’s response.
“There were no reductions made that would have impacted the situation we were facing in recent days,” Bass said.
“And then there was a little bit of confusion because the money was allocated to be distributed later, which was actually going to support salaries and other parts of the fire department that were distributed a little later. So I think that’s the most “It’s important to understand that we were in tough budget times. Everyone knew it, but the impact of our budget didn’t really affect what we’ve been going through the last few days.”
Firefighters put out a fire during the Eaton Fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Altadena, California. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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In addition to budget cuts, Bass has faced criticism for being in Ghana for a presidential inauguration when fires broke out in his town on Tuesday. President-elect Trump has partly blamed California Governor Newsom for the disaster, accusing him of refusing to sign a water restoration declaration and criticizing him for the low fire containment.
Crowley told reporters Thursday that the stockade fire, which remains at 0% contained at the time of this report, “is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles.”
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Fox News’ Emmett Jones contributed to this report.
