LA’s fire chief is at the center of a public spat with City Hall 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 3,400-member ranks. As a professional firefighter, she was portrayed by the then mayor as a stabilizing force.
Three years later, the atmosphere between Crowley and City Hall has changed.
The Pacific Palisades wildfire has burned more than 5,000 structures the most destructive in the city’s history has put leaders on the defensive and prompted Crowley to publicly argue Mayor Karen Bass about resources, even if the battle against the flames continues throughout the Los Angeles area.
Crowley publicly criticized the city Friday for budget cuts that she said have made it harder for firefighters to do their jobs at a time when they are seeing more and more calls. She also blamed the city for running out of water Tuesday, when about 20% of fire hydrants were drained to battle the Palisades fire. become dry.
“I am not a politician, I am a civil servant. My job as fire chief of the Los Angeles City Fire Department is to make sure our firefighters have exactly what they need to do their jobs,” she told CNN.
Her comments and the alleged feud with Bass led to so much speculation about her job security that the union issued a statement Friday assuring rank-and-file members that she had not been fired.
The next day the mayor tried to calm the tension.
“Let me be clear about something: the fire chief and I are focused on fighting these fires and saving lives, and any disagreements we might have will be worked out privately,” Bass said at a news conference. “But right now, our first and foremost obligation to Angelenos is to get through this crisis.”
This followed several days in which Crowley became involved in the national political battle over diversity, equity and inclusion policies that conservatives believe have gone too far in America’s institutions. Crowley, who is openly gay and the city’s first female fire chief, has made diversifying the predominantly male department a priority.
“What we’re seeing (was) largely preventable,” talk show host Megyn Kelly said on her show. “The LA fire chief hasn’t made filling the hydrants the top priority, he’s made diversity.”
There is no evidence that Crowley’s efforts to diversify the department have hindered the fight. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is responsible for providing water for the fire hydrants, and leaders have said they were overwhelmed by the intense demand for a municipal system not designed to fight wildfires, especially as firefighting planes were grounded . Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered an investigation into what happened, and Crowley himself has added to the criticism.
“When a firefighter comes to a hydrant, we expect there to be water,” she said during a local news interview.
Philadelphia Managing Director Adam K. Thiel, who previously served as the city’s fire commissioner, suggested people reserve judgment until the fires can be investigated. He noted that firefighters cannot control the weather, a key factor in fighting wildfires.
“Firefighting to an ordinary person probably seems like a relatively simple process of putting water on a fire,” said Thiel, who knows Crowley and praised her experience. “In reality, any firefighting operation, in any environment, is inherently volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.”
Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed Crowley to the position amid complaints about a fraternity 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.
When Crowley was sworn in, women made up just 3.5 percent of the uniformed membership, a figure not unusual for a department. A survey found that half of uniformed women in the department – along with 40% of blacks, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders – saw harassment as a problem.
Crowley, whose wife is a retired firefighter, told the Los Angeles Times in 2022 that she planned to ensure all employees “come to work feeling safe and heard.”
Two years later she had to deal with budget cuts she warned could hinder the department’s ability to respond to emergencies, including wildfires. She emphasized the elimination of civilian positions and $7 million in overtime.
The reduction in overtime has limited the department’s ability to prepare and train for “large-scale emergencies” such as wildfires and earthquakes, Crowley said, and programs such as air operations. The department has also lost mechanics, leading to delays in repairing the fleet, she said.
Other city officials say the department’s budget was later increased, but it is unclear how much of that went to firefighting resources. Bass has said the department has the resources needed to do its job and will discuss details once the crisis subsides.
Crowley, who grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, entered firefighting after what she called “a truly unique journey.”
She was a high school and college athlete and studied biology at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, with plans to become an orthopedic surgeon. Two weeks after graduating, she moved to California.
A stint as a paramedic changed her career path. She did an internship at the fire brigade and was hooked.
“That’s it,” she said told WBAY-TV in Green Bay in March 2022. “Within seconds of walking into the firehouse, it was such a great connection to what I had most of my life as a student-athlete, and I’m telling you, it was a perfect fit .”
Crowley has been with the department for a quarter century, serving in nearly every role, including fire marshal, engineer and battalion chief. Garcetti had described Crowley not only as a pioneer, but also as the most qualified person.
“The protection of our city must go first and foremost to the person who is best prepared to lead. But let me be clear: that is Kristin Crowley,” he said.
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Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller in Washington contributed.