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From NBC Los Angeles: The LA Fire Chief warned in the weeks before the devastating Palisades fire that the decision to cut the department’s budget by nearly $18 million would diminish its ability to prepare for and respond to large scale emergencies.
The budget reduction, approved last year by Mayor Karen Bass, was mostly absorbed by leaving many administrative jobs at the fire department unfilled, but that left about $7 million that had to be cut from its overtime budget — which was earmarked for training, fire prevention, and other key functions.
The variable overtime hours, called “V-Hours” within the LAFD, were used to pay for FAA-mandated pilot training and helicopter coordination staffing for wildfire suppression, the memo said.
The 21-page memo is titled “Los Angeles Fire Department Service Impacts on Operations.” A page from the prophetic warning letter is now circulating on social media.
The memo reads:
“The Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) is facing unprecedented operational challengest due to the elimination of critical civilian positions and a $7 million reduction in Overtime Variable Staff Hours (V-Hours). These budgetary reductions have adversely affected the department’s ability to maintain core operations, such as technology and communication infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention and community education.
“In addition to these impacts, the reduction in v-hours has severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires, earthquakes, hazardous materials incidents and large public events. Specialized programs and resources, such as Air Operations, Tactical EMS Units, Disaster Response, and Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), which rely heavily on v-hours, are now at risk of reduced effectiveness.
“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 service.”
“Without this funding, pilot compliance and readiness are jeopardized, and aerial firefighting capabilities are diminished,” the memo also reportedly warned. “Changes to the Air Operations Section impact the Department’s ability to adhere to current automatic and mutual aid agreements, provide air ambulance service, and quickly respond to woodland fires with water dropping helicopters.”
L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley warned Mayor Karen Bass (D) last month the $17+ million she cut from the department’s budget “severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires” pic.twitter.com/tgzIAeHIsQ
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) January 9, 2025
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass cut the Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget by $18 million; a memo obtained by @NBCLA written by the LA Fire Chief warned Mayor Bass that those cuts would impact responses to large-scale emergencies. https://t.co/w3vzPBnOxc pic.twitter.com/ajjq1y1kJA
— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) January 9, 2025
The LA Fire Chief warned last month that budget cuts would affect response to large-scale emergencies. https://t.co/1w9ZhDJXSb
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) January 9, 2025
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