(NewsNation) — Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley has come under attack for her handling of the deadly wildfires. Several current and former LAFD battalion chiefs and administrators are calling for her retirement.
In a scathing five-page letter obtained by NewsNation, the group puts the number of fatalities and the loss of property at Crowley’s feet and says her retirement “would be best for the citizens of Los Angeles” and members of the department.
Crowley told Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass that nearly $18 million in budget cuts within the department’s budget would affect its ability to respond to emergencies. In a memo to the mayor, Crowley wrote that the cuts “has severely limited the department’s capacity to train for and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires,” NBC Los Angeles reported.
An LAFD memo shows that Bass had requested an additional $48.8 million in budget cuts and indicated that 16 fire stations would need to close as part of the cuts.
In the letter, which was sent on Monday, the group referred to Crowley’s comments regarding budget cuts as “ill-advised and poorly timed” and took attention away from the efforts being made to control the wildfires, which have claimed at least 27 lives.
“When this incident is over, there will be time for investigations, after action reviews, reflection and of course, finger-pointing and the placement of blame, which apparently you have already started,” the letter states.
Sources told NewsNation that a group of around 100 fire chiefs and former chiefs have received the letter, as has Crowley. The group wrote that the lack of experience, arrogance and inability to manage and lead the department contributed to its failings in dealing with the Palisades fire.
The letter claims Crowley, who took office in March 2022, was aware of LAFD budget issues before taking office. The group of chiefs and former chiefs wrote that Crowley “went along” with the budget cuts, which are now coming back to haunt the chief.
The group blames Crowley for ignoring preventative systems and mechanisms previously put into place to deal with the current wildfires.
The letter also blames Crowley for her lack of response in evacuating residents from residential neighborhoods affected by the fires. The chiefs wrote it is LAFD’s responsibility to support and assist with evacuation efforts. That did not happen in this case, the group wrote.
“As harsh as this sounds, the horrific truth is that you and your command staff own this terrible loss of light,” the letter states.
John Knox, a 23-year LAFD veteran who was fired in 2021 for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine, told NewsNation that he describes the situation as a “complete and utter lack of leadership.” Knox told NewsNation that a lack of pre-deployment when the city knew about the looming catastrophe was a failure on the chief’s part.
He also said department officials suspended the testing of hydrants due to budget cuts.
The letter criticizing the chief’s leadership comes as questions continue as to why local reservoirs were empty as firefighters began to battle the sweeping fires. For instance, the Santa Ynez Reservoir, which is a 117-million-gallon water resource near Pacific Palisades was empty and undergoing renovations when the fires began.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for an investigation into why the reservoir was empty and told reporters that all of the region’s reservoirs were operating and full. However, data from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power show that five other reservoirs are currently empty. The reservoir issue has already led to one lawsuit being filed, the Associated Press reported.
The group also pointed to several critical issues under Crowley’s watch that the chief has ignored or failed to resolve. Among those were a lack of mechanics and support personnel; multiple lawsuits by females, minorities and command officers related to retaliation, harassment and hostile work environment issues; as well as extreme call load and work issues.
The group said Crowley did nothing to put mechanisms in place that dealt with a large exodus of experienced fire service professionals. The letter states that more than 125 senior-level chief officers have retired in the last year. The letter states that many of those who left the department were veterans of wildfires who would have been beneficial in dealing with the current fires burning around Los Angeles County.
“While no one is saying that this fire could have been stopped, there is no doubt among all of us that if you had done things right and prepared the LAFD for an incident of this magnitude, fatalities would have been reduced, and property would have been saved,” the group wrote.
