Los Angeles is responding to more than five times as many emergency calls as it did in the 1960s – with virtually the same number of fire fighters.
Now, United Fire Fighters of Los Angeles (UFLAC) Local 112, with strong support from the IAFF, is launching a ballot initiative to reverse decades of underinvestment in the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). At a recent press conference, IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma – an LAFD Captain II – joined Local 112 leaders and members to announce the effort – a measure that would raise hundreds of millions of dollars in new annual funding for the fire department. If approved by voters, the funds would be used to hire additional fire fighters, build new fire stations, buy apparatus, hire mechanics (SEIU Local 721), and purchase the equipment needed to protect America’s second-largest city.
“Staffing is a nationwide issue, but the problems here in Los Angeles are worse than I’ve seen in any other major American city,” said Líma. “UFLAC has been beating the drum for decades – but 60 years of underinvestment in the LAFD has proven that this city is incapable of properly funding its fire department.”
“We need to get this ballot measure passed, and we need to fund the LAFD properly.”
A 2024 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) study conducted by the IAFF underscored the scope of the problem. The analysis found Los Angeles would need to add 4,000 new fire fighters – nearly double the current staffing level – to meet NFPA standards. The study also identified the need for more than 60 new fire stations to adequately serve the city.
Staffing is a nationwide issue, but the problems here in Los Angeles are worse than I’ve seen in any other major American city. UFLAC has been beating the drum for decades – but 60 years of underinvestment in the LAFD has proven that this city is incapable of properly funding its fire department.
IAFF General Secretary-Treasurer Frank Líma
In 1960, Los Angeles had nearly 3,400 fire fighters to protect more than 2.4 million residents. Today, despite adding roughly 1.5 million more people, the city has nearly the same number of fire fighters.
Call volume has grown even faster. In the 1960s, LAFD responded to roughly 100,000 calls a year. By 2025, that number had climbed to over 500,000.
“We have five times the call load, six fewer stations than we had back in the 1960s, and 42 fewer fire fighters than we did during the Palisades fire,” said Local 112 Acting President Doug Coates. “Somethings got to change.”
The measure is backed by multiple city and state officials, including Mayor Karen Bass, City Councilmember Traci Park, and LAFD Chief Jamie Moore. The Local is collecting 154,000 signatures in order to qualify the measure for the 2026 election.
We have half the fire fighters we need to keep L.A. safe. Not only will this campaign help the LAFD, but it will help the citizens of Los Angeles.
UFLAC IAFF Local 112 Acting President Doug Coates
Working with Local 112 and city officials, the IAFF’s Grant Administration staff recently helped the LAFD secure $4 million in funding under the federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program.
The IAFF has played a key role in helping secure tens of millions in federal grants for Los Angeles, working closely with Local 112 and city leaders. The funding has helped to offset the impacts of the city’s 2010 budget cuts, restoring Ladder Truck 38 and Engines 1, 20, 73, 75, and 207, and supporting the hiring of 50 additional fire fighters.
The recent SAFER award will fund the hiring of 12 additional fire fighters to staff a new engine company in the Operations Valley Bureau – a key recommendation in the IAFF’s Standards of Coverage report, which laid the foundation for the current ballot measure.
Local 112 members are hoping the momentum will give them the sustained resources needed to finally address chronic understaffing.
“We have half the fire fighters we need to keep L.A. safe,” said Coates. “Not only will this campaign help the LAFD, but it will help the citizens of Los Angeles.”
