Southern Californians are grappling with the reality that entire neighborhoods may have been lost because of diversity policies implemented by the highest ranks of the Los Angeles Fire Dept.
Fire Chief Kristin Crowley earned national acclaim for being the first female and first LGBT fire chief in the history of the LAFD. She also earned accolades for making diversity, equity and inclusion her top issue. She wanted to hire more LGBT and female firefighters.
And yet not a person who was rescued in the blazing infernos that engulfed Pacific Palisades requested a LGBT firefighter. They wanted the strongest, most capable firefighters to pull them out of the danger zone.
Regardless, the International Association of Fire Chiefs has been quietly promoting diversity for more than a decade.
Libs of TikTok recently uncovered the agency’s “inclusive language” guide — instructing chiefs to not use terms like “fireman” because the word is not gender inclusive. Instead, they are supposed to be called fire officers.
The International Association of Fire Chiefs instructs not to use the term “fireman” and instead use “fire officer” because it’s more gender inclusive and it can emotionaly impact firefighters. pic.twitter.com/JjUFvWUcde
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 12, 2025
In a seperate post on its website, the IAFC called for the elimination of works like manpower and men.
“The words we speak and write play a significant role in creating the reality of an inclusive work environment. With an increasingly diverse workforce, the IAFC recognizes the need for more inclusive language in written fire department policies and communications, as well as in daily fire department verbal communications,” they wrote on the agency’s website. The following are examples of inclusive rather than exclusive words:
- Use “staffing” instead of “manpower”
- Use “personnel” or “people” instead of “men”
- Use “firefighter” instead of “fireman”
“In addition, the IAFC strongly encourages fire departments to have written policies (with regular training that reinforces same) that specifically prohibit disrespectful, hurtful, exclusionary, and/or other unprofessional language including, but not limited to, jokes regarding gender, racial, religious, alternate life styles and/or ethnic jokes and slurs in the workplace and that all personnel are held accountable for following these policies,” they added.
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In October of last year the organization all but admitted that the focus on diversity had come at a costly price.
“The issue of DEI is currently a pressing concern within the Fire and Emergency Medical Services across the United States. Many local departments are grappling with challenges related to recruitment and retention, exacerbated by instances of workplace discrimination, harassment, and bullying,” they wrote on its website. “These issues not only strain staffing levels but also impact service quality and community relations.”
The LAFD, which suffered a $17 million budget cut, still managed to find $300,000 to pay the head of the department’s equity and human resources bureau — a diversity chief.
In a recent video, Deputy Chief Kristine Larson addressed accusations that female firefighters aren’t strong enough carry a man out of a burning building. Her response: “He got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.”
Which leads to a very troubling question: how many of those burned to death in the fires were unable to be saved because a diversity hire was not able to carry them out of the danger zone?
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