Michele Kaemmerer, first transgender LAFD captain, dies at 80
When Michele Kaemmerer showed up at firehouses in the 1990s, she sometimes encountered firefighters who didn’t want to work with her and would ask to…
Drivers or partners? An LAFD role could be nixed amid budget woes
To Los Angeles City Council members searching desperately for cuts amid a budget crisis, the Fire Department’s emergency incident technicians are “drivers” whose main role…
An L.A. County firefighter assaulted his neighbor. But his bosses couldn’t fire him
For the Los Angeles County Fire Department, it’s a clear red line: firefighters cannot assault their neighbors. That’s why the department fired Adam Clint, a…
A Times investigation: LAFD union head made $540,000 in a year, with huge overtime payouts
Long before the devastating fire in Pacific Palisades, leaders of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s labor union complained that the agency did not have enough…
LAFD’s DEI bureau drew the right’s ire. It’s now on the chopping block
In one of his final acts as mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti stood alongside Kristen Crowley, whom he had appointed as the city’s first…
L.A. County first responders fought the worst fire of their careers. Now they want raises
On the heels of the catastrophic January wildfires, L.A. County first responders are demanding raises and rebuking politicians for not moving faster to grant them.Unions…
Three months after wildfire, Mayor Bass proposes adding more than 200 jobs to LAFD
Months after the most destructive wildfire in modern Los Angeles history, Mayor Karen Bass is seeking to add scores of new employees to the fire…
Federal legislation aims to help firefighters with job-related cancer
As firefighters battled the catastrophic blazes in Los Angeles County in January, California’s U.S. senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, both Democrats, signed on to…
LAFD actions in Palisades fire shrouded in secrecy as city refuses to release records
More than two and a half months after flames leveled much of Pacific Palisades, the Los Angeles Fire Department and Mayor Karen Bass’ office have…
Freddy Escobar leads the LAFD union in a turbulent time
With piercing brown eyes, a biker mustache, a gravelly voice and the build of an NFL defensive end, Freddy Escobar has long cut an imposing…
L.A. budget shortfall close to $1 billion; layoffs ‘nearly inevitable’
L.A.’s financial problems exploded into a full-blown crisis on Wednesday, with the city’s top budget official announcing that next year’s shortfall is now just shy…
Former L.A. firefighter union treasurer under scrutiny over car purchase
A former labor leader for Los Angeles firefighters is under scrutiny for buying a union car at an alleged discount — and then reporting an…
Former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley loses her bid to get her job back
The Los Angeles City Council rejected former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley’s bid to get her job back leading one of the nation’s largest fire departments,…
L.A. fire chief Kristin Crowley responds to ouster by Bass
Ousted Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley struck a defensive tone Saturday, issuing her first statement since being demoted by Mayor Karen Bass for failing…
Bass ousts L.A. Fire Chief Crowley, saying LAFD needs ‘new leadership’
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ousted Fire Chief Kristin Crowley over her handling of the Palisades fire Friday, adding to the turmoil that has enveloped…
Video. Off-Duty firefighter and police officer rescue woman from burning car in Arizona crash
Updated: 20/02/2025 - 21:11 GMT+1An off-duty firefighter and a police officer rescued a woman from a burning car after a crash near Phoenix, Arizona, with…
LAFD could have had at least 10 engines patrolling Palisades hills, former chiefs say
The first 911 call came at 10:29 a.m., from a resident of Piedra Morada Drive in Pacific Palisades. Amid high winds, a fire was visible…
Trump contract freeze slows safety measures in fire zones
President Trump has insisted that “raking” of the forests and other fuel reduction measures would help prevent wildfires from devastating the West. But early actions…
Lawmakers target looters in wake of arrests in Los Angeles-area burn zones
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers are proposing tougher penalties on looting and other opportunistic crimes during disasters after over two dozen individuals were arrested in evacuation zones after…
California water systems need backup power, lawmaker says
It’s been more than seven years since fire hydrants in southern Ventura County rapidly ran dry as the Thomas fire exploded — something Assemblymember Steve…