Council recognizes Aztec Fire Crew; director asks for seed funding to sustain program

Councilmembers in the Los Angeles City Council chambers recognized the Aztec Fire Crew for community service and wildland-fire assignments and heard an on‑record appeal for seed funding to keep the program operating.

Nick Pacheco introduced crew members and presenters, and Enrique Hurtado, identified in the chamber as the Aztec Fire Crew executive director and trainer, described the program’s work and its funding needs. Hurtado said the crew provides training and on‑the‑job assignments in fire suppression, brush clearance, trail maintenance and related environmental work, and that crew members have been deployed to multiple Western states for firefighting assignments. “Monies are always gonna help. Our staff have been running this program out of their pockets,” Hurtado told the council, and asked for “some kind of seed monies to keep this program going.”

Don Fazer (recorded in the transcript as Don Fazer), chief of fire and aviation management for the Angeles National Forest, spoke in support of the program and described the Aztec crew as a “very good partnership between the federal government, local government, and also, the private sector in this community.” Enrique Hurtado and staff listed partner organizations that support training and assignments, including the U.S. Forest Service, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, the Los Angeles Community Development Department, and the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks; fiscal sponsors identified included the Public Health Foundation.

Youth and former participants addressed the council. Andres Gonzalez, identified as a former crew member, described becoming a wildland firefighter with the Angeles National Forest after participating in the crew: “Thanks to this crew, I feel that I’m a good example of what can become a former member of this organization, who can later come back to teach new recruits,” Gonzalez said. Iris Monge, introduced as a first‑year crew member and the only woman on assignment that season, described the physical and emotional demands of wildland firefighting and said she felt supported by the crew.

Councilmember Reyes publicly thanked the program, linking it to neighborhood safety priorities in his district and saying groups like the Aztec crew should be supported. The presentations were ceremonial recognition on the council floor, but presenters explicitly requested seed funding, reporting that some program costs were still covered personally by staff and volunteers. No appropriation or formal funding motion was recorded during the meeting; councilmembers and staff acknowledged the request and the program’s regional activity and partnerships.