LAFD asks for a slice of homelessness budget

Everyone in government wants a piece of the pie.  The more pieces disbursed, the harder it is to communicate and coordinate.  Worse, government agencies are fighting for a piece of the pie, NOT to solve the problem.

“Unhoused people were involved in 33% of the total fires the LAFD responded to between 2018 and 2024, according to department data. Over the same period, unhoused patients accounted for 12% of all ambulance calls. Last year, calls for service involving the unhoused community represented 13% of the LAFD’s total call volume. The department memo also notes the unhoused community’s need for fire protection services.”

Maybe if the cops and social workers were doing THEIR jobs, the firefighters would not have to get involved.  If the Mayor and city council were doing their job, the LAFD would have fewer fires to fight.

LAFD asks for a slice of homelessness budget

By Aaron Schrank, LA1st,  5/20/25    https://laist.com/brief/news/housing-homelessness/la-fire-department-homelessness-budget-trash-unhoused

Topline:

Unhoused Angelenos were involved in nearly one-third of L.A. area fires in recent years, according to a memo from the Los Angeles Fire Department. Officials are now asking for a slice of the city’s massive homelessness budget.

Why it matters: The report approved by fire commissioners Tuesday reveals just how intertwined the department’s work has become with the city’s homelessness crisis.

Findings: Unhoused people were involved in 33% of the total fires the LAFD responded to between 2018 and 2024, according to department data. Over the same period, unhoused patients accounted for 12% of all ambulance calls. Last year, calls for service involving the unhoused community represented 13% of the LAFD’s total call volume. The department memo also notes the unhoused community’s need for fire protection services.

Trash fires: Rubbish fires in the L.A. area also grew by nearly five times over the past decade, according to the memo — from 5,541 in 2014 to 31,964 last year. It was the most dispatched call type in 2024, according to city fire officials. Unhoused residents were involved in 42% of rubbish fires over the past seven years.

Homelessness funds: Battalion Chief Eric Roberts argued that the department should get a share of city homelessness funds after absorbing an increase in call volumes amid the homelessness crisis.

Funding comparison: The memo also points out that the city has dedicated more funding to homelessness than to the Fire Department since 2021. In 2024-25, LAFD’s budget was about $837 million, compared to more than $960 million allocated to homelessness.