Evidence Of Human Error Grows In Altadena Fire Evacuation
Evidence Of Human Error Grows In Altadena Fire Evacuation Investigation
Over five months have passed since the city of Altadena was devastated by the harrowing Eaton wildfires — but as the community continues the slow process of rebuilding, the question of who (or what) was responsible for failing to issue timely evacuation alerts remains.
According to the LA Times, there are two possible explanations for what happened that night in west Altadena, where all but one of the 18 deaths occurred as a result of the Eaton blazes.
The first is that there was human error along the chain of command in issuing evacuations to Altadena residents or there was a technical error in sending the alerts, causing them to be delayed. The question of what caused such a deadly and detrimental failure has not subsided in the months since the wildfires.
Per the outlet, “there is growing evidence that the critical shortfall — in which flames moved into west Altadena hours before residents received any evacuation alerts — stemmed from human error, likely during the decision-making process, inter-agency communications, or both.”
Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, represents Altadena and has previously criticized the alert delays that occurred that night in January.
Speaking with the LA Times, Barger said that while she still doesn’t know exactly what went wrong regarding the alert delays, she believes there was likely a “breakdown in the communication” among county fire, sheriff, and emergency management officials — all agencies responsible for issuing joint evacuation alerts.
An additional factor that adds to the theory that human error was the likely cause of the evacuation alerts being delayed to Altadena residents, is what the chief executive of Genasys, the company that provides emergency alert software to the LA County’s Office of Emergency Management, revealed back in March — telling stockholders that the delayed evacuation alerts were not due to technical error at all.
According to a previous report from the LA Times back in February, just before the Eaton fires, the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management had only recently started using the Genasys system to issue wireless emergency alerts. They also did less training with their employees on how to use it, as well as less testing in comparison to other counties that also used the same system.
Per public records, on the night of the fires on Jan. 7, only one person was tasked with sending out evacuation alerts for the Eaton, Palisades and Hurst fires that ravaged through LA County.
Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin told the outlet that due to the chaos of what happened during the night of the fires, he didn’t recall a time that evening when fire officials realized they botched the evacuation alerts for west Altadena.
“You’re trying to do your best with taking in the fire, the direction of travel, the wind conditions,” Augustin said. “You had a bunch of leadership who are trying to make real-time decisions based on the intel that they’re receiving.”
He went on to say that he believes forthcoming reports will confirm that any shortcomings discovered from the night of the fires were due to rapidly shifting fires and delays in the manner in which the evacuation alert went out on LA County’s electronic alert system.
“In a large-scale disaster like that, when you have a wind shift, you’re receiving the information and trying your best to make the best decisions possible,” Augustin continued. “You’re making as many notifications based on the resources you have.”
As for who is solely to blame for the clunky evacuation process that cost many their lives, Altadena residents are continuing to wait for another in a long line of answers about the night their community was changed forever.
SEE ALSO:
Former Black California Mayors Supply $1M In Wildfire Relief To Black Altadena Residents
Evidence Of Human Error Grows In Altadena Fire Evacuation Investigation was originally published on newsone.com
