On the day of the fire, the chief sent 1000 firefighters home.
But why were they even on the clock in the first place? The reason they were sent home, there were over 100 pieces of fire equipment parked for repair for over a year, but that wasn't the chief's fault. The Mayor cut the Depts. budget.
But none of that matters, because the Mayor needed someone to blame for her own incompetence.Oh, and the chief was a DEI female hire. But that's another story. :biggrin:
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass today met with and removed Kristin Crowley as Fire Chief effective immediately. Mayor Bass announced she has appointed former Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran, as Interim Fire Chief.
Mayor Bass will lead a press conference today at 11:45 AM PT. Credentialed media can RSVP to [email protected].
"Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles' public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as Fire Chief," Mayor Bass said. "We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley's watch. Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after action report on the fires. The Chief refused. These require her removal. The heroism of our firefighters – during the Palisades fire and every single day – is without question. Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what our city needs."
"While the Department is in the experienced and expert hands of Chief Villanueva, my office will lead a national search and I will speak directly with firefighters and Angelenos about what they want to see in their next permanent chief," Mayor Bass added.https://mayor.lacity.gov/news/mayor-bass-removes-chief-crowley-effective-immediately