In the wake of the ruinous wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, an unpleasant truth has come to light: the city’s emergency response systems were not properly equipped to handle the disaster. According to CBS News, city budget documents noted that the funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) “decreased by $17.6 million, or 2%, between the 2024-25 fiscal year and the 2023-24 fiscal year.” Although 2% may sound minimal, I believe that this change in budget and its effects became evident as firefighters tirelessly worked to gain control of the ongoing fires, and simply could not. I think this highlights the treacherous prioritization of saving money over ensuring the safety of the public. When emergency services are underfunded, the ability to protect and save the lives of innocent people is directly impeded. I believe that no budget should ever come in the way of protecting one's life.
Although the Los Angeles Fire Department budget cuts seem alarming, some argue that this downscale is not as detrimental as many are making it seem. According to Newsweek, the reported $17.6 million decrease in funding is not a cut to the department’s core operational budget. In fact, The Los Angeles Fire Department budget increased by 4.5% over the last fiscal year. Supporters of the budgeting decision argue that public safety must be balanced with financial responsibility, which can sometimes lead to budget cuts to emergency response systems.
According to Kristin Crowley, LAFD Fire Chief, “the cuts… resulted from eliminating 58 positions, adjusting sworn salary amounts, and removing one-time expenses” as noted in a CBS article. In the same article, it notes that when prompted about these budget cuts, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass shared that the budget cuts “did not impact the department’s ability to handle the ongoing fires.” In response to questions about this budget cut and how it has affected her team and how they performed, Crowley shared “something that is significant as this particular fire, [she] would say [the fire department] threw exactly what [they] could with what [they] had.”
Budget cuts of cities' emergency response systems are not an unheard-of practice and are more prevalent than you may think. According to ABC15, Phoenix Fire Departments experienced similar situations pertaining to their budget beginning in 2022. According to Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, the “city was very hurt by the state legislator’s decision to cut 90 million from [their] budget.”
If it wasn’t obvious before, it is blatantly clear to me now: cutting budgets of emergency response systems will arguably only hurt the people of this nation. When emergency funds are cut, taking control of emergencies is immensely harder to garner. There is no reason that the lives of innocent people should be put at risk because the emergency response systems of a given city experienced a decrease in budget in the new fiscal year. I believe that changes must be made or else innocent lives will be lost over financial pressures.
Currently, the LAFD Wildfire Emergency Fund is accepting donations. According to their website, donations will go towards emergency fire shelters, hydration backpacks, and wildland brush tools.
Budget cuts to emergency response systems, like those we have seen in Phoenix and Los Angeles, are potentially putting people's lives at risk. If officials continue to reduce funding, firefighters' abilities to respond to disasters will continue to be compromised, which will leave communities vulnerable to catastrophes. I strongly believe that prioritizing citizens' safety over cost savings is the humane and right thing to do. At this point, inaction is not a choice. We cannot afford to continue to risk people's lives for the sake of a budget.
By, Ellie Phillips, Contributing Writer
Graphic by Shae-Lynn Henderson, EIC
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