LA County wildfire response slowed by resource gaps, outdated alert system, review finds

An independent after-action review by the McChrystal Group found that Los Angeles County’s response to January’s deadly wildfires was hampered by resource shortfalls and outdated policies for issuing emergency alerts, delaying warnings as flames spread through Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. The assessment, commissioned by county supervisors after the Eaton and Palisades fires killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes, calls for clearer policies, stronger training, integrated tools and improved public communication.

The review highlighted critical staffing shortages, including a high rate of sheriff’s deputy vacancies and an under-resourced Office of Emergency Management, along with broader communications vulnerabilities. The Associated Press reported that some residents did not receive alerts until after homes were already burning. The report noted unreliable cellular connectivity, inconsistent field reporting methods, and the use of several unconnected platforms that hindered real-time information sharing. “While frontline responders acted decisively and, in many cases, heroically, in the face of extraordinary conditions, the events underscored the need for clearer policies, stronger training, integrated tools, and improved public communication,” the report states.

The document is not intended to assign blame, county officials said in a news release, but to illuminate gaps and propose improvements. The Office of Emergency Management began drafting a staffing plan for predicted heavy winds on Jan. 3, four days before the Palisades and Eaton fires ignited. An experienced OEM staffer had been sent out of town for a training event, leaving several less-knowledgeable staffers in key roles. They were also working with a new emergency notification software provider, Genasys, after the county expanded its contract in November. The report notes that only four staff members were trained on Genasys when the fires began.

The review describes the process for communicating evacuation decisions as slow and convoluted, requiring multiple leadership handoffs and stable communication channels between county departments. In the Palisades Fire, Fire Department and Sheriff’s Department crews identified evacuation areas and relayed them to an OEM Incident Command Center staffer, who then triggered alerts via the third-party system. That chain took roughly 20 to 30 minutes during the fires—an improvement from the 30 to 60 minutes that had previously elapsed, but still a potential risk in fast-moving blazes. The report also cautions that many county alert methods require residents to opt in; without enrollment in services such as Alert Los Angeles County, Genasys PROTECT and WatchDuty, residents may miss notifications.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is set to review the 133-page report next Tuesday. The causes of the fires remain under investigation. These findings echo lessons seen in other states and communities, where post-fire reviews have cited gaps in alert systems and interagency coordination, including the 2017 Tubbs Fire, 2018 Camp Fire, the Woolsey Fire, the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado, and Hawaii’s 2023 Lahaina Fire.

Boone reported from Boise, Idaho, and Associated Press writer Christopher L. Keller contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico.