‘DEI really means death’: Conservatives launch fresh attack on ‘diverse’ LA Fire Department

The unprecedented disaster gripping LA is being overshadowed online by a controversy that has just exploded over a single picture.

The unprecedented disaster gripping Los Angeles is being overshadowed online by a controversy over diversity, fuelled by conservative commentators and social media users.

The LA Fire Department’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion policies in recent years has become a source of blame for the city’s apparent lack of preparedness.

Claims that particular leaders in the fire department have been elevated due to their ethnicity or sexuality, rather than ability, have spread across X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, fuelled by the likes of billionaire Elon Musk.

Elon Musk is among high-profile conservatives attacking LA Fire Department leaders.

Vision has resurfaced of a LA Fire Department leader’s remarks on diversity, equity and inclusion.

So too have shock images and jaw-dropping vision showing senior fire authorities in embarrassing situations.

The resulting furore is playing out while mammoth blazes still rage despite the efforts of thousands of firefighters. Entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed and the death toll stands at 24, but is expected to rise.

Read our full coverage of the fires here

Claim that DEI is deadly

A few days ago, right wing commentator and YouTube show host Dave Rubin shared a snippet of a video featuring LAFD deputy chief Kristine Larson.

In it, Ms Larson said: “You want to see somebody that responds to your house, your emergency – whether it’s a medical call or a fire call – that looks like you.”

The edit includes another snippet of Ms Larson addressing the belief of some that women aren’t strong enough to be firefighters.

“’Is she strong enough to do this?’ or ‘You couldn’t carry my husband out of a fire.’ Which my response [to] is, he got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.”

The clip shared by Rubin, which has circulated widely, was cut from a longer video that played during the ad breaks of an episode of hit TV show 911.

It focused on efforts to improve diversity in the ranks of the LAFD by increasing the appeal of serving among women and people of colour. The department has a long and troubled history with racism, sexism and homophobia, facing a number of lawsuits in recent decades.

That context was missing from Rubin’s post, which he captioned with a demand that Ms Larson be fired.

“DEI really means DIE,” he wrote. “It’s hard to believe this is real, but if it is, she needs to be fired, along with everyone up the chain who hired her.”

While Ms Larson oversees human resources and equity, she is also a three-decade veteran of the fire department and served as a captain and battalion chief.

‘Smiling while city burns’

An image that has spread across social media shows the so-called “leadership” of the LAFD – three uniformed women smiling in front of a raging fire.

This image, with a doctored background, implies the trio comprise the entirety of the LAFD's leadership.

The image is doctored, with the original shot indoors several years ago. It features Ms Larson alongside LAFD chief Kristin Crowley and Commander Jaime Brown, who heads training and support.

The implication the trio comprise the entirety of the leadership team is also false, they are three of a total of 14 – and the only women.

As such, one-fifth of the department’s leadership is female.

‘Identity, not merit’

The department’s chief Ms Crowley has been in her post since 2022 and conservative figures on social media claim she got the job because she’s female and gay.

Commentators and social media users have taken aim at chief Kristin Crowley's abilities.

Those digs overlook her professional record. Ms Crowley is a former paramedic and an engineer who worked as a fire inspector, captain and battalion chief.

Before her appointment in the top job, she was a fire marshal, assistant chief and deputy chief.

When she sat for her firefighter exam, she ranked in the top 50 applicants out of more than 16,000.

Originally published as ‘DEI really means death’: Conservatives launch fresh attack on ‘diverse’ LA Fire Department