“I have, over the past three years, been clear that the fire department needs help. We can no longer sustain where we are,” she told CNN Friday, explaining the necessity for more staff, resources and funding.
She said this included the need for 62 new fire stations amid a 55 percent increase in call volume since 2010.
US President-elect Donald Trump, who returns to the White House in just over a week, has seized upon the drama to attack Democrats, launching a series of evidence-free broadsides accusing Governor Newsom of a variety of failings.
He has even tried to blame a lack of water on environmentalists’ efforts to protect the smelt — a small fish that lives hundreds of miles away from the fires.
‘Risk-reward decision’
“The fact that we have such a low number of fatalities despite the massive property losses is a testament to the work of fire chiefs and government officials who have been timely,” Sheach, the professor, said.
The fires have so far destroyed around 10,000 buildings, California’s fire agency reported, while the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office has put the death toll at 11.
California firefighters “are some of the best firefighters in the world. They do this so often,” Sheach said, adding that they were better trained than in most other localities because “it’s their reality.”
How can a city like Los Angeles be better prepared in the future? And would it mean hiring more firefighters or increasing water supply?
“Those are decisions that politicians have to work with with their community, because what’s right for each community is going to be up to how much they’re willing to pay,” Sheach said.
Decreasing risk means spending more money, he explained, calling the situation a giant “risk-reward decision.”
© 2025 AFP
