Los Angeles County Fire Department’s decision to donate surplus firefighting equipment to Ukraine in 2022 is being met with heavy criticism as California faces a barrage of wildfires in 2024.
With thousands of acres scorched, homes lost, and first responders stretched to their limits, the timing of this earlier “humanitarian” gesture has now come back to haunt the state.
In March 2022, the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) joined a national effort to collect and donate surplus equipment and gear to support first responders in Ukraine.
This initiative involved gathering items such as hoses, nozzles, turnouts, helmets, body armor, and other personal protective equipment to address shortages faced by Ukrainian emergency services during the conflict.
According to the press release:
On Thursday, March 17, 2022, the Los Angeles County Fire Department joined Fourth District Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn at Fire Station 171 in the City of Inglewood to announce they would join the national effort to gather and donate surplus equipment and gear overseas to help first responders in the country of Ukraine.
In its fourth week of conflict with Russia, first responders in Ukraine are faced with shortages in supplies to help provide basic emergency services and fire protection to its citizens and communities.
“As Ukrainian firefighters continue to work under extreme peril to remove victims with limited resources, we felt the need to step up and help in some way,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby.
Surplus items such as hoses, nozzles, turnouts, helmets, body armor, and other associated personal protective equipment will be collected and sent to assist with the shortage.
Firefighters from the three Central Coast counties in California—San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, and Monterey County—teamed up with southern California fire departments to gather donations for Ukrainian firefighters overseas.
KEYT reported:
Santa Barbara City Fire Captain Isaac Siegel took the lead on the effort to collect supplies on the South Central Coast, and agencies from San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties all stepped up quickly to gather donations, said Montecito Fire spokeswoman Christina Favuzzi.
The effort is part of Project Joint Guardian, which is a nationwide program to send firefighting and rescue equipment to first responders in Ukraine, Favuzzi added.
A crew of Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Carpinteria-Summerland firefighters traveled to San Diego on Tuesday, picking up supplies from other fire departments along the way.
They will return to Santa Barbara on Wednesday afternoon, and Direct Relief International will inventory the items and then ship them to Ukraine, Favuzzi said.
Adding fuel to the fire is the Biden regime’s USAID program, which has reportedly invested millions in Ukraine’s emergency response infrastructure.
According to investigative reporter Natalie Winters, “Joe Biden’s USAID has funded 16 Ukrainian Fire Departments with “protective gear, motor pumps, chainsaws, rescue motor cutters, rechargeable spotlights, fire extinguishers, and hydraulic rescue tools.”
Elon Musk immediately weighed in stating, “But what about California?”
But what about California? https://t.co/w0YcFSDky7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2025
Southern California is grappling with multiple severe wildfires, notably the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire, and now Woodley Fire.
#BREAKING: A 4th wildfire has broken out in Los Angeles County, the Woodley Fire now at 75 acres.
Current wildfire acreage, as of 6:56AM PT:
1) Palisades Fire: 2,925 acres
2) Eaton Fire: 2,227 acres
3) Hurst Fire: 505 acres
4) Woodley Fire: 75 acrespic.twitter.com/EVPKcSUyas— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) January 8, 2025
The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles have already claimed two lives and destroyed over 1,000 structures, with firefighters facing unprecedented challenges, including water shortages from dry hydrants.
Critics argue that the equipment sent abroad could have been utilized to bolster local firefighting efforts.
The post You Can’t Make This Up: Los Angeles County Fire Department Donates Surplus Equipment to Ukraine to Aid First Responders — Alongside Biden’s USAID, Which Funded 16 Ukrainian Fire Departments appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.