Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Deputy Chief Kristine Larson faced backlash for comments she made in a video, suggesting that fire victims were at fault for being in the “wrong place” during an emergency.
Larson, who oversees the Equity and Human Resources Bureau at the LAFD, addressed concerns about the physical strength of female firefighters, particularly whether they could manage to carry a man out of a burning building. In response, she said that if she had to carry him out, “he got himself in the wrong place.”
In the same video, Larson also stood by the department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring practices, as reported by the New York Post.
“You want to see somebody that responds to your house, your emergency — whether it’s a medical call or a fire call — that looks like you,” Larson stated in the video. “It gives that person a little bit more ease knowing that someone might understand their situation better. ‘Is she strong enough to do this?’ or ‘You couldn’t carry my husband out of a fire.’ Which, my response is, ‘He got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.’”
Larson’s remarks sparked strong criticism, with many people commenting that her statements reflected what was “wrong with California priorities.” Some called her words “bonkers.”
“WATCH this,” wrote Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in a post on X. “How is it not an SNL skit? CA Leftists openly saying they don’t intend to do their job: if you or your family are trapped in a fire, ‘it’s your fault.’”
Fox News host Laura Ingraham also commented, saying, “This sums up perfectly what’s wrong with California priorities.”
“I want the person who responds to my emergency to be competent and capable,” one person remarked.
“How … does a firefighter say THAT on camera?” another commenter wrote. “She/He/they basically said tough luck if you need a firefighter to carry you. This is bonkers.”
Another commenter noted, “The videos the woke make to promote their own causes are so much more damning than anything anyone else could make in mockery of them.”
“Imagine for one second if a male firefighter said this,” another person added. “The outrage would be unrelenting. If you can’t do the job get out of the way.”
As Breitbart News previously reported, the LAFD has come under fire for spending taxpayer funds on LGBTQ Pride events and holding DEI training seminars. These initiatives have drawn criticism, particularly as the department struggles with the demands of fighting major wildfires.
An analysis of the LAFD’s 2022-2023 budget, shared by Libs of TikTok on X, revealed that the department spent over $1 million on DEI policies and recruitment efforts.
Breitbart News also previously reported that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) had slashed nearly $20 million from the city’s fire services budget for the current fiscal year.

{Matzav.com}