Los Angeles Firefighters, Christine Kraouli, warned the members of the Board of Directors in writing two years ago that her administration needed to create two teams of full crew for brush cleaning and maintenance. Forest fire lines To strengthen its part -time team, which is often made up of young volunteers.
But despite its appeal to obtain funding, the city council approved only a small part of it, and the employment stopped, as it fell into the trap of the bureaucratic routine in Los Angeles, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”. New report.
While some population filed a lawsuit against the government because of the alleged mistakes that played a role in expanding the destroyed forest fires this month, the population has no choice but to elect a new leadership of the city, according to a local lawyer from among its homeowners who are searching elsewhere for relief After fires. They did their societies.
“It is a political catastrophe and may lead to the summons of Bass,” said Naama Rahmani, a lawyer residing in Los Angeles, who represents many local clients in lawsuits in the wake of the destruction. “But there is nothing to do legally.”
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The Correctional Administration crew is working on containment lines before a Balsadis fire on January 14, 2025, in Santa Monica, California. (AP / Ethan Sup)
Rahmani said that despite the lost warning, the city leaders are likely to be immune from civil suits under the laws of the state that protect the authorities from responsibility.
“Government entities have a wide immunity under government law and cannot be prosecuted for their failure to prevent fires,” he told Fox News Digital. “The lawsuits filed against the city and DWP will be rejected.”
The Washington Post published for the first time the president's memo, written in January 2023.
“The only important weakness in our arsenal is the presence of a regular staff in the wild.” Los Angeles The Board of Commissioners of Fire Control, requests the appointment of full -time professional employees. The city was dependent on mutual assistance from the state and the boycott, both of which were suffering from a lack of employees, and the volunteer “Kadit crew”, which is often made up of teenagers and youth led by active firefighters.
A firefighter is fighting a fire in Mandeville Canyon on January 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Jay C Hong / AP)
“The Wildland staff is the primary supplier to ensure that the fire lines are strong and safe.” “Without this resource that creates and supports (a) the fire line on the wild fires systematically, the weakness in the line can mean (the difference) in containment or spread outside the scope of control.”
Crowley also warned that increasing construction in fire areas was among the factors that “increased” the risk of forest fires in Los Angeles in recent decades, as well as the winds of Santa Anna and climate change.
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The Kadit crew met twice a week with between 10 to 26 people, to work on intense labor projects such as brush cleaning. Crowley wrote that the program was designed to train firefighters in the future, and as a result, he suffered from a high rotation rate as the members were appointed and transferred to other units.
A member of the Correctional Administration staff appears on January 14, 2025, in Santa Monica, California. (AP / Ethan Sup)
She wrote: “LAFD will need to expand the number of employees to meet the requirements of a new natural fire season that lasts for a year and a rapid decrease in the availability of mutual assistance / manual assistance to hand sets at the state level.”
The council urged the establishment of two new manual energies, equipped with a handful of firefighters and dozens of auxiliary aid to put out fires, which will cover the city for seven days a week. She asked for $ 7 million to complete this, including approximately 4 million dollars for salaries and the rest for a fleet of vehicles to transfer them to the front lines via rough terrain.
While some money and employment are approved, the crews have not yet worked.
Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass, leaves a press conference during her visit to the Federal Emergency Agency's disaster recovery center (FEMA) on January 14, 2025. (Reuters/Daniel Cole)
The fire department did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Rahmani said that while the city's officials may be safe from legal repercussions, separate lawsuits against insurance companies and those who may have been responsible for igniting forest fires are still on the table.
“The only real issue that is applicable is against Edison,” he told Fox News Digital.
A building burning on Sunset Boulevard Street in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles on January 8, 2025. (Abu Gomez / Getty Imaguz)
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Southern California Edison, an accompanying company Several lawsuits Leading that its equipment helped ignite the Eiton fire, which invaded the northern parts of the Los Angeles province, including Altadina. He said that the Rahmani company is involved in the lawsuit against the company and also represents the victims in insurance claims and requests help from free government programs.
The Palisades fire, which invaded the Pacific Palisades community, is described as the most destructive forest fire in the history of Los Angeles.
The Associated Press has contributed to this report.
