Former LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley issues statement after removal

The Brief

• Kristin Crowley has issued a statement on her removal as Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

• Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass fired Crowley as Chief Friday effective immediately.

• Bass said the decision came because of Crowley's actions regarding the January wildfires

• Crowley called her time as chief, “an absolute honor.”

LOS ANGELES – One day after she was fired as Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Kristin Crowley, spoke out on Saturday, saying in part that it was “an absolute honor” to serve as the city's fire chief.

Bass made the announcement on Friday, citing specific instances related to Crowley's response to the Palisades and Eaton fires.

PREVIOUS: Mayor Bass removes Kristin Crowley as LAFD Chief

Karen Bass Fires LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley

What we know

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced on Friday that she had removed LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley, effective immediately. During a press conference on Friday, Bass said she and Crowley met briefly on Friday ahead of the announcement.

Bass said Crowley's removal from the position was because of her response to the recent Palisades and Eaton Fires.

Specifically, Bass called out Crowley sending home 1,000 firefighters the day the fires broke out, and Crowley's alleged refusal to do an after-action report, which Bass said was “a necessary step to the investigation” of the fires.

What we don't know

It's unclear why Crowley refused to do an after-action report on the fire.

Karen Bass' full statement

What they're saying

The mayor's office released a full statement on Friday, saying:

“Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as Fire Chief. We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch. Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after-action report on the fires. The Chief refused. These require her removal. The heroism of our firefighters – during the Palisades fire and every single day – is without question. Bringing new leadership to the Fire Department is what our city needs.”

Kristin Crowley's response

Crowley issued a statement on Saturday, for the first time since her removal, calling her time as Chief, “an absolute honor.” The full statement read:

“As a humble public servant for over the past 30 years, 25 of those with the LAFD, it has been an absolute honor to represent and lead the men and women of one of the greatest fire departments in the world. As the Fire Chief, I based my actions and decisions on taking care of our firefighters so that they could take care of our communities. Serving others before self, having the courage and integrity to do what is right, and leading with compassion, love and respect have guided me throughout my career. I am extremely proud of the work, sacrifice and dedication of our LAFD members, both sworn and civilian.”

Officials criticize firing

Several officials have come out against Bass' decision, most notably the fire union, City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, and businessman Rick Caruso.

UFLAC president Fred Escobar said the union was “outraged at the termination of Fire Chief Crowley,” saying that Crowley was “being made a scapegoat and she is being terminated for telling the truth”

Escobar blamed Bass' budget cuts for a lack of engines and fire trucks to respond to the fires.

SUGGESTED: ‘LA has outgrown its fire department': LAFD's 4K personnel struggle to serve population of 4M

Rodriguez also spoke out against the decision, calling Crowley “the most qualified member of the LA City Fire Department,” and encouraging Crowley to appeal the decision.

Caruso, who lost to Bass in the 2022 mayoral election, said he was “disappointed by the decision,” calling it “victim blaming.”

The other side

Several LA City Councilmembers have voiced their support for Bass' decision, including Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Councilmember Hugo Soto Martínez, and Councilmember Adrin Nazarian.

Karen Bass and Kristin Crowley's strained relationship

The backstory

For some, Friday's announcement was not a surprise. Bass and Crowley have had a publicly strained relationship ever since the fires broke out on Jan. 7.

In a Jan. 10 interview with FOX 11's Gigi Graciette, Crowley spoke out against her department's funding and staffing. Crowley admitted that recent budget cuts to the department had negatively affected the LAFD's ability to fight the fires, and added that while call volume for the LAFD had doubled since 2010, the department actually has fewer firefighters now.

When asked if the City of Los Angeles had failed the LAFD, Crowley said, simply, “yes.”

Bass says she was never warned about fires

PREVIOUS: Karen Bass criticized for cutting LAFD budget by $17.6M amid 3 LA County fires

Karen Bass has faced intense criticism as well for her handling of the situation, particularly the fact that she was thousands of miles away in Ghana the day the fires broke out.

In her first sit-down interview since the fires, she told FOX 11's Elex Michaelson that Crowley did not call her to warn her of how dangerous the weather forecast was, and said that Crowley hadn't completed the “normal preparations” for the severe weather the region was expecting.

“That type of preparation didn't happen,” Bass said. “If that had. I wouldn't have even gone to San Diego, let alone leave the country.”

Bass said it's not clear why she never got any advance notice.

Who will replace Kristin Crowley?

What's next

On Friday, Bass announced that Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran, would serve as interim chief, while her office looks for Crowley's replacement.

What's next for Kristin Crowley?

According to Mayor Bass' office, Crowley exercised her civil service right to remain with the agency at a lower rank. Villanueva will be responsible for assigning her duties.

The Source

Information in this story is from a statement by former LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley, a Jan. 10 interview with Crowley, public statements from city officials and public leaders, an interview with Mayor Karen Bass, her Feb. 21 press conference, and previous FOX 11 reports.