Burn Baby Burn: LA’s Fire Department, As the People Willed It

Conversation with Dr. Scott Scheall, Associate Professor of Philosophy & Economics at the University of Austin (UATX)

“Who the fuck are you to tell the [LA] fire department it should be putting out fires?” That’s the question I asked Scott Scheall, Associate Professor of Philosophy & Economics in the Center for Economics, Politics & History at the University of Austin.

During the LA fires, I looked at the LAFD’s webpage. There were many posts about diversity, equity, and inclusion, and almost nothing about fire prevention or management.¹ The department’s webpage had almost no information about fires. Nearly all its promotional materials featured LAFD firefighters touting diversity initiatives, with no mention of actually putting out fires.

It’s not just the LAFD that’s changed its mission from putting out fires to DEI. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, both of whom prioritize diversity and equity, have placed these values above balanced budgets, accountability, social services, and other issues torching their state and city. On the plus side, they have been incredibly clear and transparent that this is their objective. Indeed, Newsom and Bass have been so clear about their DEI commitment that they constantly discuss these values in interviews and public events.

We live in a democracy. If Angelenos disagreed with the diversity mandates imposed by their elected officials, they could have voted for candidates who opposed them or moved out of Los Angeles or California. But most did not. Again, Mayor Bass is an outspoken advocate of DEI, as is Governor Newsom. Both were elected in fair elections. The people spoke with their votes. They voted for DEI to be imbued in their institutions—the fire department being just one of many state and local agencies. It was more important for institutions to have a mandate of increasing the number of racial and sexual minorities than it was for them to put out fires. And that’s exactly what they got.

LA has a highly diverse fire department with a lot of African Americans and overweight lesbians—and perhaps a midget or two—but it is grossly inadequate for the task of putting out fires. (Response times, fire damage costs, the number of uncontrolled fires during a season, the ability to extinguish large fires quickly, etc. You know, typical metrics fire departments have prioritized.) LA burned. This is democracy.

Who is Scott Scheall, or anyone who does not live in LA, to tell the LAFD that its primary mission should be to put out fires? Of course, Scheall and any other non-resident are free to criticize the LAFD, but ultimately, the only people who have a say in what the role of the fire department should be are the citizens of LA and their dutifully elected leaders. And the people have almost unequivocally spoken: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion should be the North Star of the LAFD.

Knowing that I was being somewhat facetious, Professor Scheall handled my unusual criticism with aplomb. His thoughtful response speaks for itself.

Our chat veered to other topics, but here’s my final word on DEI. When any organization—be it a fire department, hospital, or knitting club—adopts an exogenous value like DEI, it dilutes its primary mission. It has to. When the LAFD prioritizes DEI, it shifts resources—training hours, hiring decisions, funding—away from mastering fire suppression. It’s like a chef spending more time on table décor than cooking the meal. That’s why sports teams don’t have diversity initiatives—because they want to win über alles. And the LAFD isn’t alone. DEI’s a specious distraction, a feel-good mantra that saps focus from mission. The LAFD should hire people based on their effectiveness at putting out fires. That’s it. But LA’s voters begged to differ, and that’s their right. Now parts of their city smolder. Democracy’s a brutal mirror.

1. If you read this and think, “This is total nonsense. The LAFD’s 2024/25 budget included $2.62 million for DEI initiatives, which is about 0.3% of its $819 million total budget. Moreover, the department faced a $17.6 million budget reduction in 2024-25, which Chief Crowley said would ‘severely’ impact emergency response capabilities, including wildfire management. The lack of money was the problem, not diversity.” That’s fine. Let’s even accept by fiat that this is true. Is this not more reason to be skeptical about DEI initiatives? That is, the moment DEI is adopted, skeptics will blame any failing on DEI. Plane crashes. Woman pilot is to blame. Someone dies in surgery. Black doctor is to blame. Fires burn down entire sections of a city. Overweight lesbian firefighters are to blame. DEI undermines trust and confidence in systems. If for no other reason, this is why we need open and honest dialogue about these initiatives.