The Los Angeles Fire Department didn’t inform the city’s water and electricity department until mid-February that, despite being aware of these issues a few months ago, it still needed to repair more than 1,000 fire hydrants.
According to city records and officials, the fire department discovered damage to fire hydrants in the months leading up to the Palisade fire on January 7, which destroyed thousands of homes.
Although firefighters struggled with low water pressure during the fire, it is not clear whether the damaged hydrant works.
On February 12, KCBS-TV reported that LAFD compiled a list of 1,350 fire hydrants that needed repairs, and shared the errors in the inspection records revealed. Some of these repairs appear to have been tagged back in January 2024, the listing said, and was obtained from the LAFD through a public record request.
Inside DWP, KCBS reports are surprised and alerted.
DWP relies on LAFD to conduct annual inspections of approximately 66,000 fire hydrants in the city. DWP received an annual report from LAFD in August recording the condition of the city’s fire hydrant, but no one was marked as requiring repairs, said Janisse Quiñones, DWP’s CEO.
Since the Palisades fire, DWP has repeatedly stated that there are no reports of damaged hydrants. Quiñones said that DWP received a list of damaged hydrants only after February 14 (KCBS report).
“Reports we have received [Feb. 14] “It's totally different from the report we received in August,” Quinis said at a meeting of the Commission on Electricity and Water Commissioners this week. “That was the first time we saw 'need repairs'.”
“Any assertion about information received by LADWP [about damage] Anselmo Collins, director of DWP water supply operations, added at the board meeting.
The episode marks another issue with the city’s fire department following the Palisades fire and ends her decision as former Lafd Chief Kristin Crowley attempts to overthrow Mayor Karen Bass.
As a reason for firing Crowley, Beth cites firefighters who failed to pre-prepare firefighters in the department before the Palisade fire, who refused to complete a behind-the-scenes report on the deadly fire.
LAFD did not answer questions about the fire hydrant inspection process. A Crowley spokesperson did not call back or answer questions.
Although DWP owns and is responsible for maintaining urban fire hydrants, the task of inspecting them belongs to LAFD. Each year, the utility earns about $2.5 million from taxpayer income to conduct inspections to conduct inspections and report findings.
The number of fire hydrants that need repairs have changed a lot over the past few years, Collins, the head of water supply.
“In 2021, we only have five hydrants that need repair. In 2022, we received 375,” Collins said at this week’s board meeting. “So, it’s a huge fluctuation, and it all depends on what the fire department is finding when it’s checking.”
The list provided by DWP in August includes 66,000 fire hydrants, their locations, and their ownership by DWP or private gatherings. Instead of detailing damage or repairs, it classifies about 40% of fire hydrants as “needed to be inspected.”
After KCB reported 1,350 times of water hydrants being classified as hydrants that need repair, DWP pressed to receive information.
“Having 1,350 hydrants in some way is total news for us,” said Joe Ramallo, DWP's director of communications and customer service.
DWP received the list on February 14 showing the damaged hydrant, and a separate column details the required repairs. More than 120 were listed as “dry”. Some valves are damaged, others are bent, tight or otherwise damaged. More than 100 leaks, while a few are blocked by vegetation.
Not all hydrants on the list are DWP permissions. About 100 of them are private hydrants, and their repairs will be carried out by the property owner. And dozens of people are blocked by homeless people or camps, so their status is unclear.
As of Tuesday, DWP said about 200 fire hydrants had been repaired.
At the DWP board meeting, Ramallo suggested that LAFD still has no explanation for what happened.
“We still don’t have a clear idea except after we received this list [Quiñones] “Please lend a helping hand directly and say, “Please provide anything you have because without the time to communicate to the department,” Ramallo said.
Mayor-appointed Commissioner Nurit Katz said the LAFD should provide “more frequent inspection reports than annually.”
“It seems like a thousand repairs at a time didn’t help our team as far as making sure the job was done,” Katz said.
Quiñones said she is working with LAFD Interim Director Ronnie Villanueva for a new “quality control” process, “so we won’t make such mistakes in the future.”
“The ultimate goal is that we have fire hydrants in the city, and that’s what we should work on,” she said.
