The Los Angeles Fire Department refuted the speculation that its chief, Kristin Crowley, had been dismissed on Friday as crews continue to battle the wildfires burning across the region.
“On Friday, January 10th, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley of the Los Angeles City Fire Department met with Mayor Karen Bass. Their foremost priorities continue to be fighting the current wildfires and safeguarding Angelenos. It is important to note that the Fire Chief was not dismissed and is in full command of the LAFD,” the department said in a statement.
Speculation surrounding the termination came after L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and Crowley did not appear at a Friday night press conference regarding the wildfires. The mayor’s office also said that Crowley remains the chief and has not resigned.
And on Saturday afternoon, the two appeared together at a news conference in an attempt to put on a united front. When asked by CBS News correspondent Tom Hanson how Angelenos can be sure that Bass and Crowley are on the same page, Bass responded: “Well, I think first of all you have heard it directly from me. I’ll give her an opportunity to repeat it again, that we have one mission, and that is going to be our sole focus. Now, prior to this, the chief and I have always been in regular communication and we will continue to do that.”
Crowley followed up by saying that Bass, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell and herself “are all on the same page.”
Funding for the city’s fire department decreased by $17.6 million, or 2%, between the 2024-25 fiscal year and the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to city budget documents. However, the city council in November approved a four-year $203 million contract with the firefighter’s union to help boost wages and health benefits for staff, drawing from the budget’s general fund.
The budget cuts drew criticism as firefighters scrambled to contain the ongoing fires. During an earlier television news interview Friday, Crowley appeared frustrated in her department’s ability to fight fires, citing the cuts.
“We are screaming to be properly funded, to make sure that our firefighters can do their jobs so that we can serve the community that we took an oath,” Crowley told KTTV.
In a Dec. 4 memo, Crowley wrote to the Board of Fire Commissioners that cuts “have adversely affected the Department’s ability to maintain core operations.”
“The Palisades Fire, it is absolutely one of the most horrific natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” Crowley said Friday. “Even with an additional 100 engines, I tell you, we would not catch that fire. With that being said, let me be clear, the $17 million budget cut and elimination of our civilian positions like our mechanics did, and has, and will, continue to severely impact our ability to repair apparatus.”
Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades killed at least five people and burned more than 22,000 acres, reaching 11% containment Saturday as firefighting efforts continue.
An estimated 331,000 people were affected by evacuation advisories because of the fires, with about 139,000 under evacuation warnings and 191,000 were under evacuation orders.
More than 12,000 structures have been destroyed in the wildfires, officials said, which includes at least 5,000 in the Palisades Fire. Authorities have warned that the death toll may continue to rise in the coming days as teams sift through the debris.
Crowley, a 25-year veteran of the L.A. Fire Department, was the agency’s first LGBTQ fire chief.
“It really feels incredible. I feel so honored,” Crowley said during an interview when she was first chosen as chief, noting how she was “truly humbled to be in this position.”
