By Alene Tchekmedyian and Paul Pringle
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — The author of the LAFD’s after-action report on the Palisades fire declined to endorse the final report because of substantial deletions that altered his findings, calling the edited version “highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.”
Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook emailed then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva about an hour after the highly anticipated report was made public on Oct. 8.
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“Having reviewed the revised version submitted by your office, I must respectfully decline to endorse it in its current form,” Cook wrote. “The document has undergone substantial modifications and contains significant deletions of information that, in some instances, alter the conclusions originally presented.”
He continued, “While I fully understand the need to address potential liability concerns and to modify certain sections in consultation with the City Attorney to mitigate litigation risks, the current version appears highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards. I strongly urge you to reconsider publishing the report as it stands.”
He also raised concerns that the LAFD’s final report would be at odds with a report on the January wildfires commissioned by the governor’s office.
“I am concerned that substantial disparities may exist between the two reports,” Cook wrote. Cook has declined to comment.
The LAFD has refused to answer questions from The Times about the deletions and revisions.
The Times first disclosed the changes in an article posted Saturday that analyzed seven drafts of the after-action report, obtained through a public records request. The most significant changes involved the LAFD’s deployment decisions before the fire, as the wind warnings became increasingly dire.
In one instance, LAFD officials removed language saying that the decision to not fully staff up and pre-deploy all available crews and engines ahead of the extreme wind forecast “did not align” with the department’s policy and procedures during red flag days.
Instead, the final report said that the number of engine companies rolled out ahead of the fire “went above and beyond the standard LAFD pre-deployment matrix.”
A section on “failures” was renamed “primary challenges,” and an item saying that crews and leaders had violated national guidelines on how to avoid firefighter deaths and injuries was scratched.
Another passage that was deleted said that some crews waited more than an hour for an assignment the day of the fire.
Two drafts contain notes typed in the margins with suggestions that seemed intended to soften the report’s effect and burnish the Fire Department’s image. One note proposed replacing the image on the cover page — which showed palm trees on fire against an orange sky — with a “positive” one, such as “firefighters on the frontline.” The final report’s cover displays the LAFD seal.
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