New LA fire chief talks department shortcomings, changes, and staffing needs 1 year after Palisades Fire

LOS ANGELES - LAFD's new fire chief is discussing everything from how he plans to rebuild public trust, to the department's shortcomings leading up to and during the Palisades Fire.

A year after the wildfires, he tells FOX 11 about how he wants to make things right for the residents of Los Angeles. 

What they're saying:

"When you look back at the Palisades Fire, you could only help but think there are some things we could've done better," said LAFD Chief Jaime Moore.

He spoke with FOX 11 just days after publicly acknowledging critical failures in the city's response to the Lachman and Palisades fires. 

"Some resources were delayed, some response times were longer than we strive for," Moore said last week before the city's Board of Fire Commissioners.

Moore was not fire chief during last January's wildfires but has been with the department for decades.

Moore says knowing what he knows now, the approach would be different.

"That's why we have changed after the Palisades Fire what were doing in areas like the Palisades, areas like the Hollywood Hills, areas like Baldwin Hills, Brentwood, all of those areas, we're going to have to take a more aggressive stance when we know that these particular dangerous situations are occurring."

Moore was appointed as the new chief in November after the removal of his predecessor Kristen Crowley. He says some policy changes are already in place. 

"Our decision-making matrix has changed, our mop up procedures after the Lachman Fire have changed," he said. "Now anything over an acre, it's recommended that we use a drone, that drone will fly over, we have thermal imaging capabilities that we can go out there and check the ground so that we don't have another holdover fire, we didn't have those policies in place at the time." 

 FOX 11 was the first to report a whistleblower inside LAFD questioning why critical heat detection equipment used for years to detect lingering heat underground was not deployed before the Palisades fire ignited.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Whistleblower says Palisades Fire could have been prevented if LAFD leadership followed protocol

At the time, LAFD released the following statement:

"Holdover fires can be nearly impossible to detect with infrared imaging, as smoldering often occurs deep below the surface, especially in chaparral terrain where dense root systems conceal residual heat. Under extreme winds, low humidity, and prolonged drought, these fires can reignite despite full suppression and containment efforts. The January 7 fire was not a rekindle or due to failed suppression, but the reactivation of an undetectable holdover fire under extraordinary wind conditions."

"We could've done better at that time had we had already known the information we had, but we've never seen a holdover fire like that," Chief Moore told FOX 11.

Local perspective:

Many residents who lost their homes in the Palisades Fire still feel the city failed them last January.

Chief Moore says public trust will have to be proven over time and through the Department's actions, which could be difficult given increased call volume and current staffing levels.

"They are tired, our staffing levels are low, therefore they are having to work more and it's taking a toll on them," he said. "They always go out with a smile and I've always asked that they provide the best level of service that they can."

Chief Moore says LAFD is also eyeing long-term changes and solutions.

"What we are looking at in the future is how we are going to mobilize our resources for these types of fires," Chief Moore said. "We also have another helicopter that we've put in for the budget and additional staffing."

For several months, FOX 11 has reached out to Mayor Karen Bass' Office for a sit-down interview to discuss the challenges and changes since last January's fires.  So far, our request for an interview has not been granted.