It was shortly after midday on Friday, four days following the catastrophic Palisades fire, that Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley’s demeanor seemed to reach a breaking point.
“I’ve occupied this role for three years raising the alarm. We require additional resources,” Crowley informed Fox LA’s Gigi Graciette during an extended live segment. “We seek sufficient funding for our firefighters to perform their duties. My responsibility as chief is to ensure my voice gets heard.”
“Did the city of Los Angeles let you down?” Ms. Graciette pressed her until nearly 13 minutes into the conversation, when Ms. Crowley took a deep breath, flashed a perplexed smile at the camera, and ultimately stated: Yes,” he affirmed.
It’s a narrative she recounted to NBC’s Robert Kovacik, and she was apparently set to reiterate to CNN’s Jake Tapper and CBS’ Norah O’Donnell right before she was summoned to City Hall late Friday. . She was on the verge of being let go.
For some, the media blitz calling for her resignation highlighted Crowley’s readiness to confront authority and defend the firefighters during one of the most severe urban firestorms in California’s history. .
For others, it was seen as an act of despair by a beleaguered chief whose groundbreaking appointment — the first woman and first openly LGBTQ+ firefighter to oversee the department — now jeopardizes her authority. Detractors labeled her as an ineffective “DEI promoter.” Crises are increasingly becoming politicized.
On Monday, Crowley received an unsigned correspondence allegedly from her current and former chief executives, the contents of which were shared by right-leaning commentators and social media as her interview aired on national news over the weekend. It contained biased allegations. The letter reproached her for conducting a television interview while the city was ablaze.
“I believe she ought to have concentrated entirely on managing the emergency,” Fire Commission Chair Genecia Hadley Hayes, who read the letter, told the Times. “I concur with that as well.”
Some have critiqued Ms. Crowley’s approach to the Palisades catastrophe, claiming that as winds intensified in the early hours of January 7, he opted to deploy available engines more strategically and maintain 1,000 firefighters on extended shifts. He mentioned to the Times that he could have contained it.
However, for the firefighters who donned boots at the Palisades scene, her “outburst” solidified Crowley’s reputation as a folk hero.
“Word spread rapidly within the Los Angeles Fire Department,” said Freddy Escobar, president of the Los Angeles Unified Fire Department, the union that represents the department’s frontline firefighters. “Everyone was utterly astonished but also thrilled and motivated. They back her 110%.”
“She is the sole fire chief who has vocalized dissent against the individuals who appointed her,” stated Capt. Truong Ho, another union leader. “If that doesn’t exhibit bravery, I’m not sure what does.”
Crowley declined an interview request for this piece, yet colleagues noted that she stands as one of the few women in what still remains a predominantly male field. She is also among the rare top officials who has occupied nearly every position she currently oversees, from paramedic to engineer to fire inspector.
“Unlike many of her male counterparts, she has consistently advanced through the ranks,” Ho remarked.
Crowley’s spouse, Hollyn Block, is a retired firefighter and the first woman to occupy the equipment operator position, widely regarded as the most challenging in the fire department.
Mr. Crowley commenced his career at the city’s historic Station 11. Station 11 ranks as one of the most active ladders in the nation and is a mandatory stop for an increasing number of Los Angeles firefighters.
“She is a leader among firefighters,” stated Lauren Andrade, a captain with the Orange County Fire Department and president of Equity on Fire. “She’s always willing to advocate for the community.”
Some of Mr. Crowley’s specific assertions concerning LAFD funding have been fiercely contested, and the department’s strategies on the morning of the Palisades fire are likely to face additional scrutiny in the weeks ahead.
Yet many female firefighters contend that their chiefs have been made scapegoats for circumstances beyond the department’s control, from grounded air tankers to depleted reservoirs.
“Winds reaching 160 miles per hour disrupted the water supply and key infrastructure, and she had no access to it, so is it due to her being a lesbian?” Andrade queried. “Her strategy and methods align closely with how other departments have handled similar crises.”
By Thursday, the department had encircled its units around Crowley and deployed both UFLAC and the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Chief Executive Board. They issued an open letter of support.
Regardless, many view it as indicative of the turmoil that elevated Mr. Crowley to the pinnacle of the department in the first place, amidst the most severe catastrophe to confront Los Angeles in a generation.
“You’re not going to break me.”
When Crowley was appointed Los Angeles Fire Chief in early 2022, there were few candidates for the position.
Backlash against vaccine mandates continued to unsettle the department. Numerous government officials retired or resigned. A coalition of black firefighters lodged a lawsuit asserting they were a “good ol’ white boy band.” Simultaneously, an internally commissioned 2021 survey uncovered a crisis of trust, revealing that less than 30% of sworn members expressed confidence in senior leadership.
The same survey disclosed that over half of sworn women viewed bullying and harassment as the most significant issue within the department.
“I don’t take it lightly,” Crowley stated in a 2022 interview with Spectrum News’ Gisele Fernandez. “Three decades of addressing this is three decades spent discussing, and now it’s a matter of taking action.”
Fewer than 5% of career firefighters in the United States are women. The percentage is even lower in Los Angeles, where the LAFD, with a total workforce of about 3,500, currently features around 120 sworn women. In contrast, San Francisco employs over 250 female firefighters, despite being less than half the size.
“There exists a distinctly misogynistic, sexist inclination within the fire service, and some individuals find success in it, which is extremely damaging,” said Erica Enslin, founder of the Golden State Women’s Fire Brigade and former Sacramento Fire Captain. “She has been striving to dismantle and halt the advancement of that culture.”
At the core of that sexism is the belief that women lack the strength required for fire-fighting duties.
“On your worst day, the thought of someone hoisting you onto their shoulders and carrying you away gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling,” Andrade remarked, but that’s not the essence of a firefighter’s responsibilities.
She explained that the sheer strength necessary to combat wildfires amounts to little in this age when emergency medical service calls are overwhelming.
“Indeed, it requires physical strength, and every female firefighter graduated from the same academies,” Andrade emphasized. “Women are exceptionally strong. Maintaining the status quo is an antiquated argument.”
She and others highlight that Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Malone has shielded Crowley from acute public examination.
Crowley revealed that she had sidestepped inquiries about sexism and bullying during her ascent through the ranks, but had an intrinsic understanding of how to manage men who unnerved her in the workplace. Crowley said her mother, who raised her three children alone following her father’s passing, instilled strength in her during challenging periods.
In 2022, she shared with Fernandez: “Observing my mom navigate those difficulties truly paved the way for me. Possessing that strength and capacity to persevere left an indelible impression on me.”
She also draws from her years of experience as a student-athlete. She first attended an all-girls high school in her hometown of Green Bay,
Wisconsin, followed by her participation in basketball and soccer at St. Mary’s University, an all-girls institution in Indiana.
“As an athlete, I refuse to quit. You’re not going to bring me down,” Crowley remarked.
Her advancement in the predominantly male 11th Fire Department may have protected her from some of the department’s biases, according to several individuals who knew her. Even though Crowley is around the average height for women, both she and Bullock have consistently been acknowledged for their resilience, bravely battling the Woolsey Fire in 2018 armed only with a garden hose and an extra fire extinguisher from their residence. He gained recognition for preserving part of Bullock’s mother’s community.
“She was someone who inspired others by saying, ‘I want to emulate her when I grow up,'” Enslin shared.
She and others observed proudly and with optimism as the mother of three advanced through the ranks of the nation’s third-largest fire division.
“When she was appointed fire chief, I was amazed,” stated Lt. Tina Guiler of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the CEO of Triple F, a national women’s organization. “She became my idol.”
Similar to other female firefighters interviewed by the Times, Enslin and Geiler are part of the Women’s Fire Service, a professional organization and training initiative established by the Women’s Fire Brigade to bolster their ranks and cultivate future firefighters. I became acquainted with Mr. Crowley through the camp network.
The women expressed that Crowley was an engaged and committed leader. She motivated young aspirants to visualize a career in firefighting and emphasized how a career in this field can help them build gender-sensitive skills, like utilizing their legs to maneuver a fire hose instead of relying solely on upper body strength like men. I aided in organizing it.
Detractors have attempted to depict these organizations and their initiatives as a byproduct of the emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (often abbreviated as DEI) that has permeated U.S. institutions in the past five years.
The diversification of LAFD and other departments was prompted by consent decrees initiated in the 1970s and ’80s.
“The women’s group has been a component of that entire movement,” remarked San Francisco Fire Department Deputy Chief Julie Mau, who previously led the San Francisco Women’s Fire Brigade as captain. “Over time, we have evolved into one of the largest and most active organizations because we leverage training to foster the development of our members.”
Crowley appointed leading roles to the same women she collaborated with in the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Women’s Fire Brigade. Those who seem to be reproaching the victims, including Deputy Chief Kristin Larson, a longtime critic of the department, who faced backlash this week for resurfacing old footage of Crowley in the media.
Mr. Crowley also promoted younger, historically underrepresented members of Congress to take the place of older veterans as top positions shifted. A recent lawsuit claims that her second-in-command, Deputy Commander Orrin Sanders, is an “African-American gay male.”
Critics argue that this shift diverts attention from the department’s primary role of extinguishing fires.
Her advocates contend that these criticisms serve as a cover for the sexism they have faced throughout their careers.
“DEI — it’s a part of her priorities, but it’s not the central focus,” Geiler remarked. “I’m weary of hearing that women are incapable of performing this job.”
Times staff writer David Zahnizer contributed to this article.