As Jaime Moore prepares to take the helm of the Los Angeles Fire Department, he said he plans to seek an outside investigation into the fire officials’ reigns in the devastating fire.
Mayor Karen Bass called for an investigation late last month for reporting instances where firefighters were ordered to roll up their hoses and leave a burning area, despite complaints that the ground was still smoking.
Moore — a 30-year-old department official who was appointed Friday by the Los Angeles City Council — said the reports have produced an “understandable distrust” of the agency.
The Times found that at least one division assigned to the LAFD’s risk management division knew about the complaints for months, but that the department kept that information hidden despite Palisades Fire victims appearing to plead with their community.
On Wednesday, Moore told the public safety committee that it is bringing the agency outside to investigate the LAFD’s responsibility for Jan. The Lachman fire will be one of his first years.
“Transparency and accountability are critical to ensure we learn from every incident and are critical to restoring confidence in our fire department,” Moore said. “As fire chief, I will focus on rebuilding trust, not only with the community, but within the fire department itself.”
Federal investigators said the Lachman fire was intentionally set on New Year’s Day and burned underground in the Canon root system until he agreed to believe the fire was after it was extinguished.
Moore said one of his top priorities is boosting morale in a department that has come under fire for its handling of the worst wildfire in the city’s history, which killed thousands and destroyed thousands of homes.
In the days after Jan. 7 Palisades Fire, reported times that Lafd decided not to use engines or firefighters to go to the area – as they have done in the past – where they did when the most dangerous winds in recent years went to this area.
An LAFD after-action report released last month detailed the response of fire officials, including major issues and communication problems.
Moore – who is supported by the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, the union that represents firefighters – says that other priorities include better preparation for major disasters, with a focus on the world and the 2028 Olympics.
“I have skin in this game,” she said, adding that her son is a firefighter for the LAFD. “We need to deal with the number of calls that are going on, and make sure they go to the right calls through the right sources, and if that means changing our Department model, then let’s have the courage to do that.”
He also said that he wants to expand the technical capabilities of the LAFD and better deploy the equipment that it already has, such as thermal imaging cameras and heat detection that is detected by the non-flammable collars of the Lachman fire.
“Now we need them to be used, and we don’t take any kind of hose until we know that we have been able to identify the use of the drone, the cameras in the picture are the main thing to take care of,” he said.
“I hope it doesn’t take this long and we have to learn a lesson by using the tools we already have,” said Councilwoman Traci Park.
Park Moored Soore in reporting times when firefighters warned the Battalion Chief about the Lachman fire not to put it out completely.
“Now we know that the firefighters on the ground were giving warnings that it was too hot, that it was smoking too much,” said Park. “For the citizens of Palikades and Angelos who fell into the city with questions and concerns, what would you say to them at this time?”
Moore transferred back to independent cooking plans to launch.
“I want to know why it happened, how it happened, and take the necessary steps to make sure it never happens again,” she said.
The Times reviewed text messages between firefighters and a third party that show concern groups say the Lachman fire could take hold if left alone. The exchange took place in the weeks and months after the Palisades Fire.
In one script, a firefighter at the Lachman Scene Jan. 2 wrote that the commanding officer of the Battalion had been told that it was “a bad idea” to leave because of the visible signs of the swimming area, which they feared could start a new fire.
A second firefighter was told that tree stumps were still burning in the area when the packed group left, according to documents. And one said in texts last month that members of the group were upset when they were directed to leave the area, but that they could not ignore the orders.
Firefighters’ accounts coincide with video recorded by a hiker above the Skull Rock Trailhead on the morning of Jan. 2 – About 36 hours the fire started – showing smoke coming from the dirt. “Still shaving,” Hiker said from behind the camera.
A Federal Grand Jury Subpoena was sent to the LAFD for firefighter communications, including text messages, about smoke or hot spots at the Lachman fire, according to Lachman Fire. It is not clear whether the subpoena is directly related to the case of Jonathan Rindennecht, who is accused of putting the Jan. 1 fire and pleaded guilty.
Complaints that the city and state failed to properly prepare and respond to the Palisades fire are the subject of numerous lawsuits and investigations by the Republican-led US House Committee.
In addition to the pre-installation story, the LAFD’s After-Action report found other problems on Jan. 7 Fight Fight. The first transmission called only seven companies seven, when the weather conditions require 27. Confusion when the radio station to use disruptive communication. At one point in the first hour, three engines from La County showed up asking for an assignment, and received no response. The other four engines of the lafd joined, but waited for 20 minutes without an assignment. By late afternoon that day, the deck area – where the engines go in – was engulfed in flames.
Moore said he scrutinized the 42 recommendations in the report to make sure they were implemented properly.
Bass announced Moore’s selection last month after conducting a nationwide search that included interviews with other cities’ fire chiefs. He was in charge of Kristen Coomey, who was the chief during the Palisades Fire, explaining the decisions made before the worst weather, and was appointed to the position of interim fire Ronnie Villanueva in February.
Moore — who said he grew up in the Mar Vista and Venice area — joined the LAFD as a firefighter in 1995, working in a paper-based and corporal role, according to the release. He was recently made Deputy Chief of the Operations Valley Bureau, directing emergency response at 39 fire stations.
