LA County response to deadly fires slowed by lack of resources, outdated alert process, report says

The Brief

LOS ANGELES - An outside review of Los Angeles County ’s response to January's deadly wildfires found that a lack of resources and outdated policies led to delayed emergency alerts.

The report, commissioned by county supervisors, cited critical staffing shortages and an under-resourced Office of Emergency Management as key weaknesses.

What we know:

The independent review, conducted by the consulting firm McChrystal Group, was released on Thursday.

It found that the county's emergency response was hampered by "outdated policies, inconsistent practices, and communications vulnerabilities."

The report also noted critical staffing shortages, including a high number of sheriff's deputy vacancies, and that the Office of Emergency Management was under-resourced.

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