In the face of impending dangerous weather alerts in the future, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) will strengthen its manpower deployment and pre-position firefighting vehicles to respond to potential catastrophic wildfires. This comes as part of the department’s efforts to overhaul its operations after replacing nearly 20 senior officials following the deadly Palisades Fire earlier this year.
According to the After-Action Report released by LAFD on Wednesday (the 8th), despite facing issues such as poor communication, manpower shortages, and inadequate alarm systems during the wildfire response process, firefighters managed to arrive at the disaster area within minutes and quickly requested helicopter support for water drops.
The devastating blaze that occurred on January 7 claimed the lives of 12 individuals and destroyed over 6,800 structures in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu areas.
The review report released this week details the response actions in the three days leading up to the fire and lists various improvement measures implemented by the fire department since the incident.
The department stated in a press release that the goal of the post-fire review report is to clarify the circumstances surrounding the Palisades Fire, enhance accountability transparency, and “we hope this report will strengthen public confidence in LAFD’s ability to respond to future wildfires.”
According to the report, since the fire incident, LAFD has implemented several new protocols, including enhancing coordination with other agencies, upgrading communication technology, improving wildfire training and evacuation drills, and enhancing other procedures.
Authorities announced on Wednesday that they believe 29-year-old Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht from Melbourne, Florida deliberately started the destructive blaze on New Year’s Day, which erupted into a devastating fire a week later.
Following a nine-month investigation into the cause of the blaze, Rinderknecht was arrested and faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
After the fire, LAFD interviewed around 100 officials, personnel (such as firefighters, rescuers, etc.), and other individuals, reviewed relevant documents, radio communication records, photos, and videos. They also gathered witness testimonies and other evidence for the report.
The ignition point was in the Santa Monica Mountains area, characterized by strong Santa Ana winds sweeping through the region, with wind speeds at Saddle Peak exceeding 98 miles per hour at one point.
The fire department report highlighted numerous challenges faced during the response, including hurricane-level offshore winds, steep terrain, extremely low humidity, and “extremely dry fuel.” The strong winds even carried burning embers up to 3 miles away, causing multiple spot fires.
“Responders faced the consequences of a perfect storm: dry vegetation, sustained and intense winds, widespread embers, terrain covered with flammable plants, large flammable structures, depleted water sources, and a lack of aerial firefighting support,” wrote LAFD in the report.
The report noted that firefighting personnel faced a rapid depletion of water sources while battling the blaze.
It was mentioned that the local water infrastructure was not designed for firefighting operations of this scale and intensity. Additionally, water pipes in thousands of residences ruptured or continuously leaked during the fire, exacerbating the water supply shortage.
LAFD also stated that the overall water system design prioritized residential and commercial use, unable to provide the massive amount of water needed to combat rapidly spreading vegetation fires, further aggravated by the ruptured residential water pipes. Water source issues resulted in decreased water pressure and inadequate water supply.
Despite facing overwhelming challenges, firefighting teams, task forces, rescuers, aerial support, logistical teams, and volunteers worked tirelessly and without hesitation.
The department stated that these efforts successfully saved many lives: an estimated 30,000 residents were safely evacuated, including many elderly and vulnerable individuals, with some being rescued under extremely dangerous circumstances.
The fire broke out around 10 p.m. on the first day, with authorities receiving an emergency call from an assisted living center. The facility housed 24 staff members and 40 patients, including 14 with mobility issues; initially considering sheltering in place, they ultimately decided to evacuate as the situation worsened. Emergency responders successfully deployed 12 ambulances to assist in evacuating patients, transferring them to a sister facility.
LAFD’s report stated: “By daybreak, several buildings surrounding the facility were fully engulfed in flames, but all 64 individuals were safely rescued.”
In another instance, several hikers were successfully rescued on a hiking trail by the first response team to arrive at the scene. Search and rescue teams also entered homes to locate residents who had not evacuated in time, finding an elderly individual sleeping under a pile of clothing for warmth, whom firefighters safely escorted out of the danger zone.
The report highlighted that rescue teams successfully retrieved valuable items such as art pieces, documents, computers, photos, sports memorabilia, antique furniture, and vehicles amid the burning residential area.
They even resorted to drawing water from backyard swimming pools when fire hydrants ran dry, successfully saving dozens of residences.
“Firefighters bravely stood their ground against the merciless wildfire and harsh weather conditions, risking their lives to defend the community,” emphasized LAFD.
Fire personnel also managed to save their own fire station building, even as surrounding residences were reduced to rubble, recognizing the ongoing need for the fire station to operate and serve the displaced individuals.
The report indicated that the firefighting response to the blaze was hampered by manpower shortages, attributed to inadequate city budgeting, overtime fatigue, and approved leaves, resulting in a significantly inadequate number of personnel and equipment available on-site.
As a result, LAFD has enhanced coordination with other emergency response agencies, upgraded weather monitoring tools, and is improving personnel recall systems to issue alerts to the community more quickly.
With a focus on wildfire response, evacuation, and residential protection, LAFD plans to conduct more hands-on training, including annual evacuation drills, and ensure that every high-risk community has at least two safe evacuation routes.
Firefighters are undergoing training to access water sources in case of firefighting hydrant system failures, including drawing water from swimming pools and reservoirs.
Additionally, LAFD has upgraded its drone system, added fire mapping software and hotspot detection capabilities, and improved evacuation systems. ◇