"The fire commissioners are appointed by the mayor and are supposed to provide civilian oversight for the Fire Department. But during critical discussions about the Palisades fire, the commissioners have largely been quiet. Addressing the LAFD's failure to fully extinguish the Lachman fire, which later reignited into the Palisades fire, Chief Jaime Moore conceded at a January board meeting that mop-up procedures needed to be strengthened."
"Moore also admitted that the LAFD's after-action report on the Palisades fire was softened to shield top brass from scrutiny. The commissioners did not ask any questions about Moore's remarks and only praised him. In an interview at the time, Hudley Hayes said she did not know who ordered the changes to the after-action report - and despite her oversight role, was 'not particularly' interested in finding out."
"'Our job is to take the report that we have in front of us. Our job is to make sure those recommendations that came to us from a public report are taken care of,' said Hudley Hayes, a former school board member who said she was first appointed to the commission by then-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, served eight years and then was appointed again by Mayor Karen Bass."
Four of the five members of the Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners are stepping down during a period of intense scrutiny over the Fire Department's mishandling of the Palisades fire. The departures include board President Genethia Hudley Hayes and follow the retirement of the Independent Assessor. The commissioners are appointed by the mayor to provide civilian oversight. During critical discussions about the Palisades fire, the commissioners remained largely silent. Chief Jaime Moore acknowledged failures in mop-up procedures that allowed the Lachman fire to reignite into the Palisades fire and admitted the after-action report was altered to protect leadership. The commissioners did not question Moore's statements and only offered praise. Board President Hudley Hayes stated she was not particularly interested in investigating who ordered the report changes.
#fire-department-oversight #palisades-fire #board-of-fire-commissioners #accountability-and-transparency #government-leadership-changes
Read at Los Angeles Times
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