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Column: Let’s focus on putting out the fires before fueling one at City Hall – Jobsmaa.com

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Last week, as neighborhoods were ravaged by fire, Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley saw an opportunity, and she seized it.

City leaders have failed the constituencies, he said in a statement Interview with Fox 11 News On Friday, the department has been “underfunded, understaffed and under-resourced” for years.

Crowley has made those arguments in the past, but when he told CNN last week that $17-million in budget cuts had crippled the department, I wondered about his timing.

Steve Lopez

Steve Lopez is a California native.

If I were watching my house and my community burn, The death toll is risingNew fires are starting and fear is spreading throughout the region, I want the fire chief to focus on putting out the fires in the field before starting the fire at City Hall.

Now, after Crowley's rant against Mayor Karen Bass and other leaders, questions are being raised about whether LAFD brass failed to make better use of its own resources.

On Tuesday, I spoke with a California fire official who questioned the LAFD's deployment strategies, saying that while it's true you can't fight an inferno of epic proportions, it's important to “hit it fast and hard” before it happens. A hell.

According to him it did not happen. And a The Times reported Tuesday nightMy colleagues Paul Pringle, Alain Sekhmedian, and Dakota Smith have attacked that point.

A photograph of the burnt building.

Altadena Hardware Eaton was destroyed by fire.

(Colin Shalby/Los Angeles Times)

LAFD “commanders … decided not to deploy about 1,000 firefighters and dozens of water-carrying engines” before the fire broke out, the story said, with several fire officials questioning the LAFD's deployment.

“Fire officials decided not to order firefighters on duty for a second shift … as winds were building … and deployed only five of the more than 40 engines available to help fight the wildfire,” the story continued. “After the Palisades fire burned out of control, the department called in more firefighters and began deploying additional engines.”

Crowley and his staff defended personnel and strategy. With winds gusting up to 90 miles per hour in different directions, having more resources won't make a difference, one of his chief representatives told the Times.

“To be fair, we live in extraordinary times and the calculation of firefighting has become more complex.”

Many of us live in a wide death net because of the close proximity of many homes to forested areas, droughts and hurricane-force winds. These life-threatening conditions are upon us in the future, and there is much more to consider and plan for than the size of fire departments, including where and how we build, and most importantly – the Times climate cAlumni Sammy Roth pointed out – How we contribute to the conditions that put us at risk.

But having said all that, it's important to note how easy it can be to second-guess — especially early in the game — a thorough review of what happened at Palisades is an obligation, not an option. The Eaton Fire destroyed much of Altadena, where the death toll is rising.

    LA City firefighters from Woodland Hills search for hot spots at a home on Toyoba Drive on Jan. 14.

Los Angeles firefighters from Woodland Hills search for hot spots at a home on Toyopa Drive as they prepare for high winds in the Palisades fire zone on Jan. 14.

(Brian van der Broek/Los Angeles Times)

The effort put in by thousands of firefighters over the past week in difficult and dangerous conditions is something no one could have predicted. Without their work, on the ground and in the air, the devastation and death toll would be far worse.

For Crowley, who understandably wants to provide more backup to his forces, the way forward is clear.

“We know we need 62 new fire stations, we know we need to double the size of our firefighters,” he told Fox 11 News last week, adding that since 2010, the number of firefighters has doubled. 68 has decreased.

Crowley probably thought it was a good time to strike because LA Mayor Karen Bass was there Politically damaged She decided to leave the city – for the inauguration of Ghana's president – despite extreme fire risk warnings.

As I wrote last week, it's a regrettable move on Bass's part, and no matter how brutal the fire would have been if he'd stayed in L.A., it wouldn't have helped, as my colleague Julia Vick said, as it turns out. Boss was at a cocktail party On the other side of the world when LA burns.

Crowley also knows that we're all on edge, wondering whose neighborhood might go up in flames next, and the pitch for firefighters looks pretty appealing.

But the The Chief Minister's budget demands are controversial By some city officials, a round raise, as well as the purchase of fire trucks and other equipment, actually increased the cost of the fire department.

And how many taxpayers would be willing to cover the cost of doubling the size of the LAFD, especially considering that More than 85% of the department's calls are for medical servicesMany of them are small, rather fire?

“Certainly reasonable questions need to be asked about available resources, pre-deployment and planning, and are better asked and answered when fully informed than in the heat of the moment,” said former member Andrew Glazier. of the LAFD Fire Authority.

He said city officials should examine whether the LAFD is properly resourced to balance daily, low-intensity emergencies with rare but high-intensity events like this particular fire. Most importantly, we as a city need to ask ourselves what level of department staff and infrastructure we are willing to pay for in the long run, not just in the face of an inferno.

Lots to discuss once the smoke clears. Here's hoping we can get there soon.

steve.lopez@latimes.com

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