Fire Chief

Kristin-Crowley-LAFD
Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley

Kristin M. Crowley is the 19th Fire Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). With her wife and children by her side, Chief Crowley took the oath of office on March 25, 2022 – becoming the first female and LGBTQ Fire Chief in the LAFD.

Chief Crowley leads a diverse department – about 3,400 sworn and more than 350 civilians – in protecting four million people in Los Angeles (LA) – the Nation’s second-largest City. From the ocean to the mountains, the Valley to the Port of LA, the LAFD responds to over 1,300 emergency calls a day.

As a 22-year veteran of the LAFD, Chief Crowley has proven her credibility and character by promoting through the ranks. She served as a Firefighter, Paramedic, Engineer, Fire Inspector, Captain I, Captain II, Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, Chief Deputy, and Fire Chief.

She has gained valuable experience in both field assignments on emergency apparatus and administrative duty in multiple areas within the Department. Before her appointment, she served as a Chief Officer for nine years as the Commander of Battalion 13 (South Los Angeles), Battalion 6 (San Pedro), the Professional Standards Division, Fire Prevention and Public Safety Bureau, and Administrative Operations.

Chief Crowley has been instrumental in the LAFD’s youth development program. She has served as the program director on two youth fire academies in the harbor and valley areas in the City. This program has trained over 1,000 LAUSD students from local high schools on the fundamentals of becoming a firefighter focusing on graduating from high school and having good citizenship.

She served as an executive board member for the Chief Officers’ Association and The Women in the Fire Service. Chief Crowley chairs the Fire Code Committee for Los Angeles and serves at the Los Angeles Fire Department Leadership Academy as a facilitator and instructor.

Creating, supporting, and promoting a culture that values diversity, inclusion, and equity while striving to meet and exceed the expectations of the communities are Chief Crowley’s priorities, and she is grateful for the opportunity to serve the City of Los Angeles.

 

The Los Angeles Fire Department operates a number of bureaus that report directly to the Fire Chief. The Chief (formerly called "the Chief Engineer") is the senior administrative and policy manager for the department. Each of the key bureaus is listed below:

The Fire Chief has the power and duty to:
  • Appoint, discharge, suspend, transfer, or issue instructions to members (civilian and uniformed) of the Department (other than the Secretary of the Board of Fire Commissioners and the Chief Accounting Employee of the Department) in the line of their duties, subject to the civil service provisions of the charter.
  • Expend the funds of the Fire Department in accordance with the provisions of the budget appropriations or of appropriations made subsequent to the budget.
  • Recommend to the Board an Annual Departmental Budget covering the anticipated revenues and expenditures of the Department.
  • Certify expenditures of the Department to the Chief Accounting Employee.
  • File with the Board at least once a month a written report on the activities of the Department.
  • Exercise such further powers in the administration of the Fire Department as may be conferred upon the Fire Chief by the Board.

 

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