LA’s fire chief is at the centre of a public spat with city’s mayor as wildfires rage

Kristin Crowley was elevated to Los Angeles fire chief in 2022 at a time of turmoil in a department consumed by complaints of rampant hazing, harassment and discrimination among its 3400-member ranks. As a career firefighter, she was portrayed by the then-mayor as a stabilising force.

Three years later, the mood between Crowley and City Hall has changed.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (left) and LA fire chief Kristin Crowley have engaged in a public spat over resources even as the battle against flames continues.Credit: Marija Ercegovac

The wildfire in Pacific Palisades that has burnt more than 5000 structures to become the most destructive in city history has put leaders on the defensive and led Crowley to engage in a public spat with Mayor Karen Bass over resources even as the battle against flames continues across the Los Angeles area.

Crowley publicly criticised the city late last week for budget cuts that she said had made it harder for firefighters to do their jobs at a time when they were seeing more calls. She also cast blame on the city for water running out on Tuesday when about 20 per cent of the hydrants tapped to fight the Palisades fire went dry.

“I’m not a politician, I’m a public servant. It’s my job as the fire chief for Los Angeles city fire department to make sure our firefighters have exactly what they need to do their jobs,” she told CNN.

Her comments and perceived falling-out with Bass prompted so much speculation about her job security that the union issued a statement on Friday assuring rank-and-file members that she had not been fired.

The following day, the mayor sought to tamp down the tension.

“Let me be clear about something: The fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any differences that we might have will be worked out in private,” Bass said at a news conference. “But right now, our first and most important obligation to Angelenos is to get through this crisis.”

This followed several days of Crowley getting swept into the national political fray over diversity, equity and inclusion policies that conservatives believe have gone too far in American institutions. Crowley, who is openly gay and the city’s first female fire chief, has made diversifying the overwhelmingly male department a priority.

There’s no evidence that Crowley’s efforts to diversify the department have hampered the fire fight. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is in charge of providing water for the hydrants, and its leaders have said they were overwhelmed by the intense demand on a municipal system not designed to fight wildfires, particularly as firefighting aircraft were grounded. Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into what happened, and Crowley herself added to the criticism.

“When a firefighter comes up to a hydrant, we expect there’s going to be water,” she said during a local news interview.

Philadelphia managing director Adam K. Thiel, who previously served as that city’s fire commissioner, suggested that people reserve judgment until the fires could be investigated. He noted that firefighters could not control the weather, a key factor in battling wildfires.

“Firefighting, to a regular person, probably appears to be a relatively simple process of putting water on a fire,” said Thiel, who knows Crowley and praised her experience. “In reality, every firefighting operation, in any environment, is inherently volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.”

Former Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Crowley to the job amid complaints about a frat-house culture in the department that was sometimes hostile to women and minorities. Several lawsuits alleged hazing and harassment, and federal investigators found evidence of discrimination.

At the time Crowley was sworn in, women accounted for just 3.5 per cent of the uniformed membership, a figure that’s not unusual for a department. A survey found that half the uniformed women in the department – along with 40 per cent of black people, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders – felt harassment was a problem.

Two years later, Crowley was facing budget cuts that she warned could hamper the department’s ability to respond to emergencies, including wildfires. She highlighted the elimination of civilian positions and $7 million in overtime pay.

The reduction in overtime had limited the department’s ability to prepare and train for “large-scale emergencies”, such as wildfires and earthquakes, Crowley said, and programs like air operations. The department had also lost mechanics, leading to delays in repairing the vehicle fleet, she said.

Other city officials say the department’s budget was later boosted, but it’s unclear how much of that went to firefighting resources. Bass has said the department has the resources needed to do its job, and she will address specifics once the crisis subsides.

Crowley came to firefighting after what she called “a really unique journey”.

A high school and college athlete, she studied biology at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, with plans to become an orthopedic surgeon.

A stint as a paramedic changed her career path. She did an internship with the fire department and was hooked.

“That was it,” she said in a television interview in March 2022. “Within a few seconds of me entering into the fire station, it was just such a wonderful connection to what I had being a student athlete for the majority of my life, and I tell you, it was a perfect fit.”

Crowley has now been with the department for a quarter of a century, serving in nearly every role, including fire marshal, engineer and battalion chief. Garcetti had described Crowley as not only a trailblazer but the most qualified person.

“The protection of our city first and foremost has to go to the human being who is best prepared to lead. But let me be clear, that is Kristin Crowley,” he said.

AP

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