LA fire chief warns budget cuts impact response to fires in California

Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) officials are assessing the impact of a $17.8-million budget reduction following the Palisades Fire, which destroyed hundreds of structures and burned over 15,000 acres.

The budget cuts, approved by Mayor Karen Bass last year, had been warned by Fire Chief Kristin Crowley to diminish the department's capacity to respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires.

In a memo dated December 4, 2024, Chief Crowley highlighted that the budget reduction severely limited the department's ability to prepare, train, and respond to emergencies.

The reduction, which impacted the department's overtime budget, had been earmarked for critical functions, including training, fire prevention, and wildfire preparedness.

The overtime budget also supported pilot training and staffing for wildfire suppression operations.

The memo warned that without the funding, vital operations, such as aerial firefighting capabilities, could be compromised. "Without this funding, pilot compliance and readiness are jeopardized, and aerial firefighting capabilities are diminished," the memo stated.

It also noted potential impacts on the Disaster Response Section and the Critical Incident Planning and Training Section.

Despite the warning, Mayor Bass asserted that the budget cuts did not affect the LAFD's response to the Palisades Fire. "I am confident that it did not," Bass said in response to the fire chief's memo, and she added that fire spending would likely exceed the amounts budgeted for the fiscal year.

Bass also addressed criticism of her being overseas when the fires began, stating she remained in close contact with emergency personnel throughout the event. "Although I was not physically here, I was in contact with many of the individuals that are standing here throughout the entire time," Bass said. "I was on the phone, on the plane, almost every hour of the flight."

The Palisades Fire began on Tuesday and, fueled by strong winds, became one of five major wildfires burning in Southern California.

Fire officials have downplayed the impact the budget cuts may have had on the response, noting that LAFD often relies on mutual aid partners in large-scale emergencies. "Any fire department, even our size, is stressed thin, which is why we call-in our mutual aid partners," said LAFD spokesman Jacob Raabe.