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City Council approves $750,000 transfer to bolster LAFD air operations staffing
Summary
The Los Angeles City Council voted to transfer $750,000 from the unappropriated balance to fund six dedicated air-operations positions and related equipment after city and state audits recommended consolidating helicopter operations and stationing paramedics at Van Nuys airport.
The Los Angeles City Council on Dec. 7 approved a measure to transfer $750,000 from the city———unappropriated balance to fund additional staffing and equipment for the Los Angeles Fire Department———( LAFD) air operations group.
Councilmember Cindy Makowski said a city air-operations work group and a recent state audit agreed that consolidating command and stationing dedicated paramedics at Van Nuys airport would speed helicopter response and improve management. "There is consistency in the need to coordinate and create a new management process," she told colleagues, and recommended authorizing funding and positions now that the audits are complete.
Assistant Chief Dean Kathy, assistant bureau commander for emergency services at LAFD, told the council the $750,000 had been placed in the unappropriated balance during the budget process and that the department was seeking six additional positions as part of a package to "help to mitigate the impact" of current paramedic shortfalls. "We are recommending six additional positions as part of that package," she said.
Councilmembers pressed for detail on whether the positions would be new hires or a redeployment of existing staff; the department said the plan relied in part on firefighters currently in training being assigned to field roles while the six paramedic positions were intended as an augmentation. The council also discussed expediting the purchase of a replacement helicopter, with one member saying a helicopter was nearing its maximum safe hours and requesting the department move up acquisition to avoid an unsafe interim operating period.
After clarifications that the appropriation would not require removing other planned purchases, the council opened and closed the roll and approved the transfer and authorization for the positions (vote reported as 13 ayes). The council directed staff to return with implementation details and a report on helicopter replacement timing.
The vote authorizes the transfer and related staffing but does not by itself purchase aircraft; members said procurement timing and further management changes will come back to the council for follow-up.
Next steps: staff will return with implementation plans and a request to accelerate replacement procurement so the city does not operate a helicopter beyond recommended hours.
