After Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced the removal of former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, the ousted leader responded with a statement Saturday afternoon. Amber Frias reports for the NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Feb. 22, 2025.
A day after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced the firing of former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, the ousted leader broke her silence and issued a statement regarding her leadership.
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.
Kristin Crowley, former LAFD Chief
If Crowley chooses to appeal her firing, she will need 10 of the City Council's 15 members to vote with her to succeed. In the meantime, the mayor’s office said the former fire chief has exercised her civil service right to stay with the department at a lower rank.
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Tensions between the two leaders arose in wake of City Hall’s and the Los Angeles Fire Department’s response to last month’s historic fires. Both Bass and Crowley shifted blame onto one another, with the fire chief publicly stating the mayor’s decision to slash funding for LAFD affected its ability to adequately respond to the fire.
In turn, Bass, who was on an overseas diplomatic trip when the Palisades and Eaton Fires broke out, claimed Crowley failed to warn her in advance of high winds expected in the region ahead of the disasters. The windstorm was highly publicized and expected, however.
Things took a turn when the mayor announced on Friday she removed Crowley from her leadership position.
"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," Bass said when she announced the firing. "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.”
The two fires together burned through more than 37,000 acres, destroyed more than 14,200 structures and claimed more than two dozen lives.
