25-Year L.A. Fire Veteran Sounds Alarm on Dire Conditions Inside the Department
FIRST RESPONDER FUNDING - Why has the City of Los Angeles neglected to invest in its first responders?
This article was inspired by a Los Angeles City Fire Department Firefighter EMS of the Unites Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 3112, who was a guest speaker at the Edendale Branch Library Town Hall Meeting on Oct 10. This article may present possible conflicting numerical data from the various sources. The fire Department sustains itself with the funding of 16.1% from the General Fund.
According to the L.A. City Administrator Office’s White Book, Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27, shows the rise and fall of the personnel numbers of the Fire Department that include firefighters sworn positions, Emergency Medics System (EMS), and professional staff. Below, the temporary positions are Resolution Authority of which continued hire depends on funding available and approval from the Council.
The Fire Department’s total 2026-27 Adopted Budget is $939.45 million to pay for a total of 3,904 regular positions, and an increase of 68 positions dropped from the last adopted budget, FY 2025-26.
According to the LAFD Paramedic speaker, the 68 positions were cut after the Palisades Fire, and the Fire Department Union pushed with a few L.A. City Council members to get those positions back. The Council temporarily approved the positions, reinstating them 30 or 45 days ago. But only temporarily until the end of the year. ‘They say there in no money to keep them, unless the ballot Measure FD passes. If Measure FD does not pass, the positions are removed.”
“The Council modified the mayor’s proposed Budget by transferring funding salaries from the Sworn Account to the Overtime Constant Staffing Account on a one-time basis to reflect platoon duty vacancies maintained by fire fighters on overtime. Add one-time funding to Overtime Constant Staffing Account to maintain minimum service levels,” according to the CAO White Book Adopted Budget FY 2026-27, P.288, Section Fire, no. 8.
In the 1960’s, the Fire Department ran about 100,985 calls annually; in contrast today, the call volume has grown to almost 500,000, almost 5-fold in 2025. yet the department has not gained the same ratio of personnel since the 1960’s while the city’s population has almost doubled. According to the LAFD Paramedic at the town hall, the number of firefighter’s have increased by 8 since the 1960’s.
In fact, in fiscal years 2024/2025 and 2025/2026, the Department’s number of personnel show to have dropped before and after the Palisades Fire as seen on the first chart above.
Further, the LA City Fire Department has decreased its number of fire stations since the 1960’s from 112 to 106 in 2026, said the L.A. Fire Department Paramedic. While Google.Com AI, shows that “in 1960 there were 112 fire stations providing service to approximately 2.5 million residents.” And, AI displays that “In the 1970’s there were 100 to 106 fire stations serving the City of L.A.; while, in 1980, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) operated approximately 101 to 102 active fire stations across the City of Los Angeles.”
“Since the Palisades Fire, the largest fire in the history of the city, the Department has dropped 42 positions,” said the 25-year veteran, who has worked as a paramedic for 22 years. If we had had more personnel, equipment, mechanics, fire engines present and enough water, it would’ve had been a different story. At site we had to resort to
Triage and treatment (assessing injured or trapped individuals and administering life-saving interventions such as CPR, bleeding control, or airway management) when one has no other option than to make a quick choice based on the resources that are at hand. The fire department has grown by seven 7 fire fighters since 1965.
“We are sitting at over 2,000 calls a day, the reality, is that we cannot, do it all.” said the firefighter.
In 2026, we should arrive at about 4 minutes since receivig the call. We are going to calls that we know we’ll be arriving at 7:53 min. The bottom line, we need to upgrade our riggs he said.
When a machine answers, that means there are not enough dispatchers. In an emergency, a fire paramedic with parameters that are not in their control. “The service providers need to meet that demand,” he said.
“We are blue collar workers; we always do our job to the best of our ability.” The department is short on paramedics, presently we need about 5,000 new fire fighters.” “We are in need of mechanics…”
“At a fire station, the city provides the firemen with a stove, a refrigerator, and the pots and pans to cook with. Firemen provide for own food and cook but, we need more funds to protect the city,” stressed the fireman who has served the City of Los Angeles for 25 years as a paramedic for 22 years.
(Connie Acosta is writer and a member of the Neighborhood Council system writing as an individual.)
