As her community was devastated by fire last week, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Christine Crowley saw an opportunity, and she took it.

She said in a statement that city leaders had failed their constituents. Interview with Fox 11 News Friday because the department has been "underfunded, understaffed and underresourced" for years.

Crowley has made these arguments in the past, but when she went on TV last week to tell CNN that $17 million in budget cuts were crippling the department, I wondered about her timing.

If I watch my house and neighborhood on fire, As the death toll continues to increasenew fires are starting, fear is spreading throughout the area, I hope the fire marshal puts the fire out on site first, and then lights it at the city hall.

Now, in the wake of Crowley's tirade against Mayor Karen Bass and other leaders, questions are being raised about whether the top brass of the Los Angeles Fire Department failed to make the best use of their resources.

On Tuesday, I spoke with a Cal Fire official who questioned the Los Angeles Fire Department's deployment strategy, saying that while you may not be able to fight a fire of unprecedented size, the key is to "hit it early and hard" before it becomes a reality . hell.

In his mind, that didn't happen. and in a The Times reported Tuesday nightMy colleagues Paul Pringle, Alene Tchekmedyian, and Dakota Smith all emphasize this point.

Many fire officials questioned the LAFD's deployment after the Los Angeles Fire Department's "commander decided not to dispatch ... the approximately 1,000 available firefighters and dozens of water-carrying engines" before the fire, the report said.

"Fire officials chose not to order firefighters to remain on second shift... due to increased winds... and only five of the more than 40 fire trucks available to help fight wildfires were deployed," the report continued. "The department only began calling in additional firefighters and deploying additional engines after the Palisades fire burned out of control."

Crowley and her staff defended staffing and strategy. One of her top deputies told the Times that with winds gusting up to 90 mph in different directions, even more resources may have little effect.

It’s fair to say that we live in extraordinary times, and unfortunately these times are becoming increasingly unusual and the calculations for firefighting are becoming more complex.

With many homes located close to wild lands, combined with droughts and hurricanes, many of us are living in a giant death trap. These life-threatening situations will be with us for the foreseeable future, and there is much more to consider and plan for than just the size of the fire department, including where and how we build, and most importantly—whatever climate changeColumnist Sammy Ross pointed out - How we contribute to situations that put us at risk.

But with that said, and being aware of how easy it is to second-guess -- especially early in the game -- a full review of what happened in Palisades is a responsibility, not an option. The same goes for the Eaton Fire, which destroyed much of Altadena and whose death toll is rising.

One thing no one can second-guess is the efforts of thousands of firefighters in difficult and dangerous conditions last week. Without their work on the ground and in the air, the destruction and death toll would have been far greater.

For Crowley, the path forward was clear and she was understandably willing to provide more backup for her troops.

"We know we need 62 new fire stations, we know we need to double the number of firefighters," she told Fox 11 News last week, adding that the number of calls the fire department has received since 2010 The number has doubled, but the number of firefighters has doubled. reduced by 68.

Maybe Crowley thought this was a good time to strike out, since Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been politically damaged Despite warnings of extreme fire danger, she decided to leave town to attend the inauguration of Ghana's president.

As I wrote last week, this move by Bass was regrettable, although the fire would have been just as horrific had she stayed in Los Angeles. As my colleague Julia Wick reports, it turns out that doesn't help Bath attends a cocktail party While Los Angeles was burning, on the other side of the world.

Crowley also knows we're all nervous about whose neighborhood might be next to catch fire, and the idea of ​​recruiting more firefighters sounds pretty appealing.

but Chiefs' budget request controversial Some city officials say a round of pay raises and the purchase of fire trucks and other equipment actually increased fire department spending.

How many taxpayers are willing to shoulder the cost of doubling the size of LAFD, especially considering More than 85% of the department's calls are for medical servicesmany of which are minor and not fire?

Former member Andrew Glazier said: “Of course we need to ask some legitimate questions about available resources, pre-deployment and planning, questions that are best asked when we have complete information rather than in this extraordinary moment .” LAFD Fire Commission.

He said city officials should examine whether the Los Angeles Fire Department "has the right resources to balance everyday low-intensity emergencies with infrequent but high-intensity events like this particular fire. The bottom line is that as a city, we We have to ask ourselves what level of departmental staffing and infrastructure we are prepared to pay for in the long term, not just when we face hell."

Once the smoke clears, there's a lot to discuss. Hopefully we can achieve this soon.

steve.lopez@latimes.com