LA fire chief says city failed the department as National Guard mobilizes to tackle looting, traffic control

As wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles and the surrounding area, the city’s fire chief criticized the city for failing the fire department as the National Guard has started mobilizing to handle looters and traffic control. 

"Did the city of Los Angeles fail you and your department and our city?" a reporter asked LA Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley. The fire official replied, "It’s my job to stand up as a chief and exactly say, justifiably, what that fire department needs to operate to meet the demands of the community."

The reporter pressed the question again, to which Crowley replied, "That is our job, and I tell you, that is why I’m here. So let’s get us what we need so our firefighters can do their jobs."

She was once again asked if the city failed the department, to which Crowley replied after a pause, "Yes."

Los Angeles firefighters are currently fighting multiple wildfires in the Los Angeles area, including the Palisades fire which has grown to over 20,000 acres, and the Eaton fire which is at over 13,000 acres burned.

In the 2024-25 city budget, Mayor Karen Bass cut $17.6 million from the fire department, which was only outdone by the $21.4 million cut from street services. Crowley warned Bass in December that the cut to the department’s budget "severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires."

It was revealed on Friday that Bass was reportedly demanding that the fire department cut another $49 million from its budget.

This comes as the California National Guard has been deployed and was seen setting up along the Pacific Coast Highway in Palisades Park, preparing to assist in traffic control and looking for looters in the fire zone, Fox LA’s Matthew Seedorff reported.