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ON THE POLIS - The Los Angeles Fire Department looks back on major incidents and prepares an after-action review to improve its operation. In the case of the Palisades Fire, it looked back and reworked the review to diminish its systematic failure and to protect leadership.
So brazen were the changes that Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, who wrote the after-action report, declined to endorse the final version. He said the changes altered his findings and made the report “highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.” He explicitly acknowledged that some edits were made in consultation with the City Attorney to mitigate litigation risks, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles’ culture of strategically shaping perceptions rather than confronting institutional weaknesses continues. We have seen this pattern before in Los Angeles Polce Department oversight battles, homelessness and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power audits. The reasons are obvious. Soft criticism protects the city leadership and reduces a department’s legal and political exposure.
The changes in the report were not cosmetic edits, though a celebrity public relations firm was hired to help LAFD leaders shape their messaging. The edits go directly to operational accountability. The firm, known as The Lede Company, is a full-service strategy, communications and social impact consulting firm, specializing in corporate, entertainment, brand, and nonprofit sectors.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Cook was unhappy with changes made to the report. After reviewing seven drafts, according to the LA Times, the most significant edits removed criticism of LAFD’s lack of extended firefighter shifts and delayed engine deployment before the January 7 fire despite strong wind warnings. It remains unclear who ordered these revisions.
The fire department should be thoroughly investigated for altering its after-action report to downplay the city's failures during a devastating fire that resulted in twelve deaths and destroyed thousands of homes. The LAFD would not clarify the PR firm's involvement or confirm if report changes were made, citing ongoing federal court proceedings.
Yet, new Fire Chief Jaime Moore said he met Lede during his first days in office and thanked them for their efforts, although he was unsure of their exact role...... Moore acknowledged the report was watered down and promised to prevent such edits in future after-action reports but saw no value in identifying who changed the Palisades report.
Moore brushed off calls to investigate who altered the after-action report, according to the Washington Examiner. He declined to press for an investigation into findings that the department sought to paint their response to the deadly fires in a more favorable light. Since then, he has refrained from requesting additional investigation into concerns regarding the fire department leadership's roles in guiding the city through the incident while avoiding accountability.
So, where was the outrage from City Hall for this "firegate" cover up? Instead, as always, they circled the wagons and the public be damned. Oh, and there are elections next June and of course they cannot afford to alienate the LAFD. And, while they are outraged by the misdeeds and cover ups in Washington D.C., they should look in the mirror.
Bass’ office did not respond to questions from the LA Times about whether she met with Lede, what direction its publicists gave city officials and what role the company had in preparing or editing the after-action report. Let`s remember where our tax dollars are spent next time we are asked to vote for a new city tax.
Mayoral candidate Austin Beutner has called for an independent commission to investigate the Fire Department, the Department of Water and Power, other relevant departments, and City Hall officials on the January fire.
It is important to understand that after-action reports in Los Angeles serve as both an official, procedural tool aimed at learning and improvement, and as a political mechanism through which institutions protect themselves, manage blame, and navigate power dynamics.
Most certainly, it is the political layer that essentially enables a cover-up, and which ultimately shapes these documents.
The Palisades Fire case makes this explicit. Initial drafts identified “critical failures” in resource allocation and communication. Those findings were later softened after the report was sent to the mayor’s office for “refinements.” By so doing, the political logic is revealed: the drafts diagnose reality, as was the case with the original report, and the final version manages perception.
By so doing, controlling the narrative of a crisis is a form of power.
Further, there is an additional element regarding after-action reviews known to insiders, but not the public. Aside from portraying department competence, they are also a way to shape future budget allocations.
It is evident that the production of government documents is influenced by factors such as political risk, timing, and the necessity to sustain governing coalitions. In this case, the after-action review was a dismal failure, and it exposed a department’s cover-up.
"Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters" -Albert Einstein.
(Nick Patsaouras is an electrical engineer, civic leader and a longtime public advocate. He ran for Mayor in 1993 with a focus on rebuilding L.A. through transportation after the 1992 civil unrest. He has served on major public boards, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Metro, and the Board of Zoning Appeals, helping guide infrastructure and planning policy in Los Angeles. He is the author of the book "The Making of Modern Los Angeles.")
