ONE BIG THING: SUPPORTING LAFD & FASTER RESPONSE TIMES
What Happened?
This fall, LAFD began diverting calls to LA’s Unarmed Model of Crisis Response in some parts of the city, in addition to the calls it already handles from LAPD.
In November alone, the unarmed crisis response program handled 1,012 calls, with an average response time of 27 minutes. 96% of those calls were resolved without any LAPD involvement, allowing law enforcement to stay focused on urgent situations.
Why it Matters
LAFD is currently overburdened and understaffed. National standards recommend that fire departments respond to 90% of calls within four minutes. But a report released earlier this year found that LAFD meets that benchmark for only 49% of addresses.
Closing that gap to keep communities safe requires urgent action and long-term vision:
- Relieving the burden on firefighters right now.
The Unarmed Model of Crisis Response takes low-level calls off firefighters’ plates — freeing them up to focus on urgent fire and medical emergencies.
- Building out LAFD’s physical infrastructure.
It would take 62 new fire stations citywide to fully meet our response-time goals. That kind of long-term investment requires early and sustained action to get off the ground.
What’s Next?
There are ongoing efforts to expand LAFD infrastructure and secure long-term funding, and voters could see related measures on the ballot as soon as November. But the firefighters can’t wait another year, and the Unarmed Model of Crisis Response is already making an impact today.
Earlier this fall, former Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva said the program is “helping immensely” by easing the strain on firefighters.
“If you could fund that even more — the Unarmed Model of Crisis Response — that program would be helping us out immensely if it could grow bigger than what it is right now.”
Two More Quick Hits
- Sweeping Beauty Featured on Crooked Media
Our bike-powered street sweeper “Sweeping Beauty” was featured on Crooked Media’s “Crooked Ideas” channel as an innovative, environmentally friendly, and community-driven way to keep our streets safe and clean.
You can also check out our video with all of the name suggestions that lost out to “Sweeping Beauty.”
Huge thanks, as always to Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) for operating Sweeping Beauty weekly on Hollywood Blvd. Last week, we picked up 165 pounds of trash and debris!
- Holiday Food Giveaway at the Bresee Foundation
Last weekend, we partnered with community organizations like Bresee to distribute food to over 700 families in the district facing food insecurity.
Our office put over half a million dollars into emergency food and rental assistance, to help families in need — and we’ll continue this work with Bresee and others across the district so we can support our neighbors when they need help the most.
Click here to find a FamilySource Center near you so you can see what assistance is available