LA firefighters demand Kristin Crowley be reinstated as chief

Firefighters demand former chief be reinstated

A group of firefighters say the firing of former LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley was unjust and perhaps retaliatory, and are demanding she get her job back.

LOS ANGELES - Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department are speaking out, demanding that Kristin Crowley be reinstated as Fire Chief after Mayor Karen Bass fired her on Friday over the handling of recent wildfires.

What we know:

The group, Los Angeles Women in the Fire Service, sent a letter to Mayor Bass, LA City Council, and the Board of Fire Commissioners demanding Crowley be reinstated as chief.

What's in the letter

The letter stated that Bass' removal of Crowley was "inaccurate, and a blatant attempt to shift blame to where it does not belong."

It also stated that Bass falsely claimed that 1,000 firefighters were sent home the night the Palisades Fire broke out on Crowley's watch.

The letter concludes by saying, "Chief Crowley has proven herself to be a competent, consummate professional and, without question, is the most qualified person to lead the LAFD."

FOX 11 reached out to Mayor Bass for comment, but have not heard back.

Firefighters show support for Crowley

LAFD Firefighter Paramedic Tanya Crabbe, who also serves as the interim president of the Los Angeles Women in the Fire Service, an employee association within the department, said the decision has left firefighters questioning the mayor’s support.

What they're saying:

"It's a shame that the mayor doesn't support our fire chief because if she doesn't support our fire chief, how does she support us as firefighters out in the field protecting the citizens of Los Angeles?" she said. "I believe the mayor is taking blame away from herself and trying to place it on Chief Kristin Crowley."

Crabbe said Crowley had widespread support within the department.

"I’ve worked personally with Chief Crowley for many years, and she's highly, highly supported by all ranks and files," she said.

However, Mayor Bass made it clear she had lost faith in Crowley.

"We all know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch," Bass said during Friday's press conference.

Crabbe pushed back, arguing there were no resources available for those firefighters.

"There were no fire engines, no trucks, no ambulances to put these extra firefighters on in order to go out to the fire," she said.

The letter also stated, "All LAFD resources were fully staffed on January 7th, and there were many firefighters available for recall who were willing to serve, but there simply were not enough additional operational fire engines available to be in service to accommodate those members."

LAFD Budget

While Mayor Bass insists she did not cut the LAFD budget, Crowley previously told FOX 11's Gigi Graciette that the budget was indeed slashed and Crabbe agrees.

"I'm not sure where she thinks that she has not cut the budget. I'm not understanding exactly what she is referring to—she has not cut the budget, but she has cut the budget," Crabbe said.

LAFD Chief slams budget cuts, says department was let down

As California's wildfires continue to spread, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley criticized the city's decision to cut mor than $17 million in funding for the department, and says that the city let her and her firefighters down. (January 10, 2025)

By the numbers:

According to Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, the city cut the LAFD's funding by $17.6 million in the 2025 fiscal year, which started on July 1, 2024. Compared to the city's other departments, the LAFD saw the second-largest cut, next to street services.

Looking at the budget summaries for the 2023-2024 fiscal year and the 2024-2025 fiscal year, though, shows the year-over-year difference is closer to about $30 million.

FOX 11 has been reporting on the problems within the LAFD since 2023, something Bass was aware of.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: