9 public safety issues raised by Eaton, Palisades fires – and what’s been done about them

Several factors affected how first responders battled the Palisades and Eaton fires, two of the most devastating wildfires in California history. Such factors ranged from the amount of staff deployed to basic communication among agencies and to the public.

Those factors also impacted the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from their homes in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Altadena and its surrounding areas.

One year later, here are updates on some of the challenges on Jan. 7 and what, if anything, is in the works to remedy them.

Pre-positioned resources

The Los Angeles Fire Department, in anticipation of dangerous fire weather starting on Jan. 7, said it pre-positioned resources in key areas where wildfires were likely. Many of these resources were told to report to stations in the San Fernando Valley.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department also pre-positioned three strike teams – comprised of five engines and 21 firefighters each – in Agoura Hills, La Cañada Flintridge and its air operations base in Pacoima. The department also had 900 additional firefighters working overtime. Some of those resources helped LAFD in the response to the Palisades fire before the Eaton fire broke out.

The closest pre-positioned resources to the Palisades were in Woodland Hills and Agoura Hills.

LAFD has since promised to beef up staffing during high-risk fire weather events.

Staffing shortages

In an after-action report made public in October, the Los Angeles Fire Department acknowledged that in the interest of being fiscally responsible amid budget restraints, they did not keep staff from a previous shift on to help in the initial stages of the Palisades fire.

Now, “all staff will be immediately recalled and all available apparatus staffed, regardless of external factors or financial impact,” the report said.

Coordination

In it’s own after-action report released on Nov. 4, the Los Angeles Police Department said it had difficulties coordinating with other agencies during the Palisades fire response – namely LAFD – and lacked stable communication channels and technology.

Officers were slow to arrive because of the drive to the Palisades and because of a lack of personal protective equipment, they stopped door-to-door evacuation alerts, while wind and bad reception caused a tactical alert to be delayed and a shift to a dedicated radio frequency caused “significant confusion,” the report said.

The report recommended, among other things, that the two agencies train together and emphasize “true Unified Command organizational structure.”

Emergency alerts

In both the Palisades and Eaton fires, some residents did not receive timely evacuation warnings. This was particularly true for west Altadena residents. An after-action report by the McChrystal Group, a third-party brought on by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, highlighted shortfalls, including staffing shortages at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the county’s Office of Emergency Management, as well as policies and protocols on evacuation warnings that were “outdated, unclear and contradictory.”

The report recommended the county update its policies to make sure that first responders and emergency management understood roles and responsibilities, among others.

Following that report and another state-commissioned report that concluded alerts were sent out well after the Eaton fire started burning homes in west Altadena, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has launched its own independent investigation into why evacuation warnings were sent some three hours late to residents in that area.

Air support

Due to high winds, Dan Child, LAFD chief pilot, made the decision to ground aircraft the night of Jan. 7 because pilots were struggling just to fly the aircraft and maintain altitude in high winds.

The aircraft were airborne again the following day and remained in the firefight from that point on.

Water supply

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power system was not adequately prepared to take on the demand for water in battling the Palisades fire, running out of water in the area by early morning, Jan. 8. A nearby reservoir was also empty as it was being repaired.

LADWP temporarily asked customers to conserve water while also sending about 20 mobile water tanks to support the fire department. The state later sent another 140 tankers to augment the struggling water systems.

Governor Gavin Newsom, three days after the fires started, called for a review into the causes of the lost water supply and water pressure across Los Angeles County and asked state and firefighting officials what local governments can do to provide an adequate water supply for emergency responses.

Municipal water systems are not designed to fight wildfires. Experts have said any upgrades to water systems in the foothill communities will not be cheap or easy.

Senior centers

Two senior care facilities in Altadena and Pasadena were found to have failed to follow emergency protocols and improperly handled evacuations of some residents during the Eaton fire, including one – MonteCedro – where LASD deputies found two residents who were left behind at or near the facility.

In an online statement, MonteCedro said a new executive director was brought on in August.

At The Terraces at Park Marino, one resident was left behind and eventually evacuated by Pasadena firefighters. The facility was destroyed by the Eaton fire, but was expected to reopen in 2027.

Power lines

Though the cause hasn’t been officially determined, many residents who lost homes in the Altadena area have filed lawsuits against Southern California Edison, claiming its equipment started the blaze.

The utility also started the Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program for victims of the Eaton fire, where residents can file claims. Within the first three days, the utility received nearly 400 applications.

The utility, in April, unveiled a preliminary plan to underground 153 circuit miles, mostly in burn scar areas, among other improvements.

Thermal heat imaging

Los Angeles city firefighters picked up their hoses and other equipment on Jan. 2 and left the scene of the Lachman fire while it continued to smolder underground, reigniting and turning into the Palisades fire on Jan. 7.

The department says it will monitor burn scar areas with heat detecting drones moving forward.