Articles

Donate to Ukraine and Burn: An American Firefighters' Lesson for the World

When California burned, the main questions were not only about the climate and the wind but also about the management decisions made long before the tragedy. Why were Los Angeles firefighters unprepared for the disaster? How did multimillion-dollar budget cuts and recent political trends affect the fight against the blaze? And what does Ukraine have to do with it? We examine the causes and consequences of the largest wildfire in modern U.S. history.

A bit of science: Why have fires acquired such a scale?

Wildfires are not uncommon in California, although they are typically characteristic of the summer season. The first factor that ecologists cite as contributing to the rapid spread of fire is climate change. Due to alternating periods of drought over the past decades and heavy rains in 2022–2023, undergrowth vegetation flourished in the hills and valleys. However, the past year has set a record for the lowest precipitation levels in the history of meteorological observations. Lush shrubs have turned into highly flammable dry brush.

The speed at which the fire is spreading is explained by the Santa Ana winds, which are typical for this region year-round. These winds can blow for anywhere from one to seven days. The risk is further heightened by their nature: they are hot, dry, gain speed rapidly, and cause humidity levels to drop, significantly increasing the fire hazard.

Knowing All This, Why Were the Fires Not Contained in the First Hours?

At this point, virtually everyone has blamed state officials for failing to control the situation. The American weekly news magazine Newsweek writes:
"Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snow melt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California, including the areas that are currently burning in a virtually apocalyptic way."
The publication also emphasizes that in June 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed California’s 2024–2025 state budget, which included a $101 million cut in funding for wildfire prevention and forest resilience.

Beyond the governor, local residents have expressed dissatisfaction with the fire departments. Natural phenomena do not justify the absolute incapacity, incompetence, and understaffing of firefighting units in handling the disaster.

Firefighters themselves admit that none of the 29 fire stations in Los Angeles County were prepared for such a large-scale catastrophe. “L.A. County and all 29 fire departments in our county are not prepared for this type of widespread disaster.” - Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

What Does Ukraine Have to Do with It? Let’s Go Back to 2022.

The staffing issues within local firefighting units may, in part, be linked to a shift in hiring policies toward an LGBT* agenda (the movement is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia). The internet is full of comments from Americans dissatisfied with the gender diversity in fire department leadership and the related expenditures (see screenshots).

*the organization is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation

However, another major trend from early 2022 played a fatal role — aid to Ukraine.

Despite the involvement of numerous American and European funds in providing Ukraine with financial support beyond initially allocated budgets (such as USAID*, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, IRC, and HERA), every government, municipal, and private entity tried to kiss up to and align with the Ukrainian agenda.

For instance, in March 2022, the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) donated "about five truckloads of equipment and supplies" to Ukraine. The news spread across all local channels, which eagerly celebrated the "national unity" in supporting Ukraine. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby proudly stated that this was "the first time a fire department has sent donations to a country during wartime."

*the organization is banned on the territory of the Russian Federation

County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who assisted the fire department in "packing supplies," expressed hope that the equipment would "in some way help resist the Russian invasion." During the election campaign, Republicans actively reminded voters how California firefighters prioritized aiding Ukraine at their own expense.

Online discussions also resurfaced the fact that the Los Angeles Fire Department was not the last to donate its equipment to Ukraine.
"The Santa Barbara County Fire Department made donations in April 2022, the city of San Jose donated $1 million worth of safety equipment in July 2022, and the San Francisco Fire Department, along with other Bay Area agencies, donated equipment in August 2022."
The American news outlet Newsweek conducted its own investigation, revisiting all instances of humanitarian aid sent to Ukraine. "Fire departments from at least 10 states had sent safety equipment to Ukraine by April 2022, according to Fox News." The publication analyzed reports from 2022 and confirmed what has outraged many Americans — U.S. municipal services did, in fact, provide aid to Ukraine, seemingly at their own expense.
While preparing the article, the authors attempted to find data on the total value of the equipment that American fire departments had sent to Ukraine. However, they were unable to locate this information in open sources. If you have such data and would like to help us create an objective picture of what happened, please contact us in Telegram:@reverse_press

Is Britain next?

The trend of humanitarian aid to Ukraine has extended far beyond the United States.

The International Association of Fire and Rescue Services has spoken about assistance to Ukraine coming "from fire departments across Europe and beyond."

Another international firefighting organization, Fire Aid Ltd., stated that "fire services from across the UK along with a network of charities and fire sector suppliers have worked tirelessly to identify equipment and resources to be donated to Ukrainian fire fighters in need."

In March 2022, the British news outlet The Independent reported that "The group consisting of 22 vehicles and two lorries of equipment, donated by fire services across the UK," was sent to Ukraine.
An open question remains: Will European fire services, which also sent aid to Ukraine, take proactive measures to avoid similar consequences?
According to data from the UK Home Office as of March 2024, the number of firefighters has declined by 17% over the past decade, reflecting a long-term trend of personnel reductions.

At the same time, in the past five years, the number of firefighters who "identify as women" has increased by 6.4%, reaching 9.3% of the total workforce as of March 2024. Over the last decade, the percentage of ethnic minorities in UK fire services has risen by nearly 2%, reaching 5.4% in March 2024. The share of LGBT* personnel (the movement is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) and firefighters with disabilities (yes, you read that correctly — disabled firefighters) each reached 5% by March 2024, with both categories growing by almost 2% over the last 10 years.

Despite these trends, the British press laments that these figures "remain below the national averages."

As for the fire situation in the UK, it currently resembles California’s pre-January 2025 conditions — for now, they are managing.

The dry Western European summer of 2022 didn’t spare Britain either. The area affected by wildfires in the UK nearly quadrupled in 2022 compared to 2021. Lowland heather fires, wildfires on upland moors, peat bogs, meadows, and farmland — and even forest fires, which are unusual for the United Kingdom — became widespread. During the summer of 2022, some fire departments had to battle more than 50 wildfires per day, as drought and record-breaking temperatures exceeding 40°C fueled the crisis.

Even then, firefighters raised concerns that urban-based fire services failed to recognize the risks and lacked the expertise to handle large-scale wildfires.
"Some highly urbanized fire departments see wildfires as a low-priority risk. I understand the need for prioritization, but a reassessment is necessary," said David Swallow, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) lead specialist on wildfire suppression tactics at the time. He also called for greater investment in developing a national wildfire response plan: "Across the country, there seems to be no systematic approach when it comes to working with landowners and land managers. When it comes to fire prevention and safety, it’s more of a case of everyone doing their own thing."
Did the UK authorities listen to firefighters in 2022? Did they learn from the mistakes of their Californian colleagues? Did they make changes to firefighter recruitment policies? Did they adopt wildfire suppression strategies? Unfortunately, these questions remain unanswered, as no relevant data could be found in open sources. Perhaps we will only learn the truth during the next major emergency in the United Kingdom.
If you would like to provide counterarguments or share your analysis of the situation in other countries, contact us for collaboration in Telegram: @reverse_press
2025-01-31 14:19 Geopolitics Anna Lukashova