Online conversations about the Los Angeles fires claim without evidence that the city is facing firefighter shortages due to its COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The source of the claim appears to be a former LA firefighter who made national headlines in 2021 for refusing to comply with the city’s vaccination requirements. Responses to the claim blamed vaccine mandates for the devastation caused by the fires and called the fires a self-made crisis.
Recommendation
A surge of false and misleading claims about the LA fires are currently circulating online. Debunking messaging may explain that there is no evidence that the vaccine mandates had any impact on LA Fire Department staffing or the state’s response to historic wildfires. Fire officials note that the combination of drought conditions and hurricane-force winds contributed to multiple simultaneous wildfires that overwhelmed local personnel. Data that predates the pandemic shows that LAFD lacked sufficient personnel to serve the growing city, at least partially due to budgetary concerns. However, only 113 firefighters—out of over 3,200 in the LAFD—were reportedly fired for failing to meet the city’s vaccination mandates, with most of the terminations occurring over three years ago. According to California’s governor, over 7,500 firefighters from across the state are responding to the fires.
