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After the Palisades fires lit, Top Brass at the Los Angeles Fire Station quickly said it was hampered by a broken fire engine and a lack of mechanics to fix them.
If around 40 fire trucks in the shop had been repaired, they said the fight against what turned out to be one of the highest and destructive disasters in Los Angeles history could have unfolded differently.
Fire chief Chrysin Crowley at the time cited the disabled engine as the reason why firefighters weren’t sent to areas where fires were prone to fire as the wind escalated, and as the reason they sent firefighters who lived in the houses they helped when the flames were furious out of control. She said the department should have had triple the mechanism.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Right, and Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley address the media at a press conference. 11.
(Allen J. Scheven/Los Angeles Times)
However, many of the broken engines highlighted by LAFD officials had not been in service for many years, for months, according to a time review of the engine work order on January 3rd, four days before the fire.
Additionally, the LAFD had dozens of other engines that could have been staffed and deployed before the fire.
Instead, the service records point to a broader issue. This is a reliance on the city’s long-standing engine fleet.
More than half of the LAFD’s fire engines are scheduled to be replaced. According to an LAFD report submitted to the City Fire Department last month, 127 (60%) of 210 fire engines and 29 (48%) of 60 ladder trucks operate beyond the recommended lifespan.
“That wasn’t a priority,” said Frank Lima, general secretary of International ASSN. The firefighter fighter, who is also captain of the LAFD, added that the frontline rigs are “more than ever” as the number of 911 calls increases.
In other words, staff rely heavily on spare engines. This is an older vehicle that can be used in emergencies or when a regular engine is in the shop. The goal is to use less than half of these vehicles, but for the past three years, LAFD has, on average, used 80% of trucks, engines and ambulances for the reserve, according to a report by the Fire Commission.
“This shows an older fleet,” said Assistant Peter Fuciao, who oversees the supply and maintenance division of LAFD in an interview with The Times.
“As our fleet grows older, repairs become more difficult,” Hsiao told the Fire Commission. “We’re currently doing things like rebuilding the suspension, rebuilding the pump transmission, rebuilding the transmission, rebuilding the engine overhaul.”
The issue stems from long-term funding challenges, Hsiao said in an interview that he receives a variety of amounts each year that must be split between competing equipment needs.
“If you extrapolate it over a long period of time, it’s a situation where we’re in,” he said.
Worse, the prices of new engines and trucks have doubled since the pandemic, Hsiao said. The engine, which cost $775,000 a few years ago, is now pushing $1.5 million.
The number of fire engine manufacturers is also decreasing.
Recently, the IAFF called on the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the consolidation of emergency vehicle manufacturers. In the letter, IAFF said at least 20 companies have been deployed to three major manufacturers.
Firefighters will fight the Palisade Fire on Her Medio Avenue on January 7th at Pacific Palisades.
(Brian van der Bragg/Los Angeles Times)
“These issues have reduced fire department preparations to respond to emergencies and have had disastrous consequences for public safety,” the letter said.
IAFF is the parent organization of United Firefighters in the city of Los Angeles, a local union representing LAFD firefighters. The IAFF has been running local labor groups since last month suspending top executives over allegations of financial fraud.
Hsiao said the LAFD fleet is well maintained and the engines are often not broken.
However, the age and condition of the fleet can be even worse, even if you inject cash to buy new equipment, as latency is very long.
Mayor Karen Bass’ office says it has secured $51 million last year to secure $51 million to buy 10 fire trucks, five trucks, 20 ambulances and other equipment. The 2025-26 budget, passed by City Council last month, includes around $68 million, including 10 fire engines, four trucks, 10 ambulances and helicopters.
“The mayor’s office works with the new leadership of LAFD to ensure that new vehicles are purchased and served in a timely manner,” the spokesperson said in an email.
The majority of the fire department’s budget is spent on the salaries and benefits of over 3,700 employees, mostly firefighters.
Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department fill in the council’s rooms to show support for former fire chief Christine Crowley, who had sued City Hall to sue her for her firing to the Los Angeles City Council after Mayor Karen Bass fired her as fire chief. Under the city’s charter, Crawley needs the support of 10 of the 15 councillors to revive as Chief.
(Allen J. Scheven/Los Angeles Times)
Despite the city’s economic issues, firefighters secured a four-year salary last year through negotiations with Base. Firefighters often earn far more than Base Pay, with about 30% of LAFD’s pay costs working overtime, according to the city’s salary database. Firefighters and firefighters each earned an average of $73,500 in overtime last year, with an average fund salary of about $140,100, data show.
Líma said that while the new engine is useful, “a little injection for a year doesn’t help with systematic problems that have developed over decades.” When asked if firefighters would get a raise, he said, “We shouldn’t fund the fire department from behind their pay.”
National Fire Protection Assn. It is recommended that the fire engine move to reserve a completely out-of-fleet condition in 15 or 25 years.
But many big cities “have to act faster due to constant wear and tear equipment,” said Mark Bashore, a former fire chief who currently trains firefighters across the country. “In my opinion, ten years are old for the city’s equipment.”
Bashoor also said that incorporating various brands into the fleet can increase repair times, as does LAFD.
“If the fire department doesn’t have a standardized fleet, the department usually can’t stock enough parts to fit all brands,” he said in an email. “Then you’ll need to find parts and use third parties, which can significantly delay repairs.”
Of the approximately 40 engines in the Palisades pre-fire store, three were built in 1999. Hsiao said the old engine is normally used for training and does not answer calls.
Too old or damaged from collisions or fires to return to city streets, they sometimes remain in the garden, so they can be peeled off for parts or used for training. Some have been held as evidence of the lawsuit.
Service records reviewed by The Times show that a work order was opened in 2023 for the 2003 engine burned in a fire, with the word “Strip for Salvage.” A 2006 engine, damaged in the accident, was waiting for parts, according to a memo related to the work order from April last year. Two 2018 engines were damaged in a collision, according to a memo from orders from last July. Other orders focused on oil leaks or head gasket issues.
Nearly 30 engines (70% of the list) that were not in use before the fire were over 15 years old, past what the city considers to be a reasonable lifespan. Only 12 people had work orders for less than three months. This included two new engines built in 2019 and one new engine in 2020. That service record indicates that you are waiting for a “warranty” repair.
After the fire, LAFD Union officials reiterated concerns over the maintenance of Crawley’s fleet. Freddie Escobar, then president of United Firefighters in Los Angeles, blamed the chronic lack of funds.
“LAFD has a funding mechanism to provide enough mechanisms and we don’t have enough money for the parts to repair these engines, trucks and ambulances,” Escobar told KTLA-TV.
The problem goes back over 10 years. A 2019 report showed that LAFD equipment was even more outdated at the time, with 136 of the 216 engines, or 63%, and 43, or 74% of the 58 ladder trucks scheduled. In a 2012 report, LAFD officials said there were not enough mechanics to keep up with their workloads.
“The most important concerns are the aging and unreliable fleets in the department, an increase in backlogs of postponed repairs, and increased maintenance costs,” the 2012 report stated, adding that mechanics are primarily performing emergency repairs in place of preventive maintenance.
The LAFD’s equipment and operations have been under scrutiny since the Palisades fire erupted on January 7th, destroying thousands of homes and killing 12 people.
A total of 18 firefighters are typically employed at two fire stations in Pallisard (stations 23 and 69) to respond to emergencies. The previously reported Times only 14 of them are available on a daily basis to combat brush fires. The other four are assigned to ambulances at two stations, but could be useful for evacuation and rescue during a fire.
The Palisades burn along Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
LAFD officials did not pre-deploy the engine to Pallisard before the fire despite warnings about extreme weather, a Times investigation found. In wind preparation, the department has placed only five of the over 40 engines available to supplement normal firefighting.
These work engines could have been pre-located in Pallisard or elsewhere, as they have been done during similar weather in the past.
Less than two months after the fire, Bass rejected Crowley, citing the pre-development decision of the chief as one of the reasons.
Bass rejected the idea that there is a connection between sectoral cuts and the city’s response to wildfires.
Meanwhile, the number of work mechanisms that have fluctuated between 64 and 74 since 2020 has not changed in recent years, according to a record released by LAFD in January. As of this year, the agency had 71 mechanics.
According to a report to the Fire Commission, LAFD does not have enough mechanisms to maintain and repair the fleet based on the number of hours the department needs to maintain a single vehicle.
Last year, the mechanic completed 31,331, or 97% of the 32,317 work requests, according to the report. So far, they have completed 62%, according to the report.
“As the number of mechanics increases, delays can be reduced, but facility size, part availability and warranty repairs can make the issue worse,” LAFD said in an unsigned email.
Special correspondent Paul Pringle contributed to this report.
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