Ousted fire chief Kristin Crowley has broken her silence after she was brutally sacked by Mayor Karen Bass over the Los Angeles wildfires disaster.
Crowley was dismissed on Friday, almost seven weeks after devastating fires tore through southern California, leaving 29 dead and 12,300 structures decimated.
The decision was made by embattled Mayor Bass, who also faced criticism for her handling of the crisis.
‘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,’ Crowley said.
She said during her tenure as Fire Chief, she had ‘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.’
Crowley will continue on with the LAFD, but in a lesser role to be determined by her interim replacement Ronnie Villanueva.
Ousted fire chief Kristin Crowley has broken her silence after she was brutally sacked by Mayor Karen Bass over the Los Angeles wildfires disaster
Crowley was dismissed on Friday, weeks after devastating fires tore through southern California , leaving 29 dead and 12,300 structures decimated
Mayor Bass placed the full weight of blame for the city’s devastating wildfires on the shoulders Crowley and in a scathing address, painted her as the architect of failure.
She accused her of catastrophic mismanagement that led to loss of life, destruction of homes, and widespread chaos in America’s second-largest city citing her removal at Chief as a matter of ‘public safety.’
‘Acting in the best interest of Los Angeles public safety and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I just met with Chief Crowley and removed her as fire chief,’ Bass declared at a press conference on Friday in an unsparing statement.
The mayor has blamed Crowley’s leadership failures for exacerbating the crisis, saying the fire department under her command was ill-prepared for the magnitude of the disaster.
Billionaire businessman Rick Caruso, who ran against Bass for Mayor, accused his opponent of shifting the blame onto Crowley despite her own clear failings during the crisis.
‘It is very disappointing that Mayor Bass has decided to fire Chief Kristin Crowley,’ he said.
‘Chief Crowley served Los Angeles well and spoke honestly about the severe and profoundly ill-conceived budget cuts the Bass administration made to the LAFD. That courage to speak the truth was brave, and I admire her.
‘Honesty in a high city official should not be a firing offense.’
Mayor Bass placed the full weight of blame for the city’s devastating wildfires on the shoulders Crowley and in a scathing address, painted her as the architect of failure
The mayor has blamed Crowley’s leadership failures for exacerbating the crisis, saying the fire department under her command was ill-prepared for the magnitude of the disaster
Caruso said ‘the Mayor’s decision to ignore the warnings and leave the city was hers alone.’ He repeatedly criticized her trip during the height of the fires, which cost his daughter her home.
He was able to salvage a Pacific Palisades mall by hiring private firefighters to defend the area.
‘This is a time for city leaders to take responsibility for their actions and their decisions. We need real leadership, not more blame passing,’ he said.
Similarly, City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was also critical, saying: ‘I am outraged by the scapegoating revealed by the Mayor’s actions.’
‘I plan to use my authority as a Councilmember to set the record straight and encourage Chief Crowley to appeal the Mayor’s baseless termination to the City Council.’
Mayor Bass blamed Crowley for allegedly sending 1,000 firefighters home instead of keeping them on duty the morning the devastating fires broke out on January 7.
