The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) and other fire departments across the United States have sent so-called “surplus” equipment—including fire engines and ambulances—to Ukraine over the past several years, leaving American first responders depleted in their ability to address the wildfires ravaging parts of Los Angeles County.
In 2022, the LACoFD announced it was donating surplus equipment—including hoses, nozzles, helmets, body armor, and other personal protective gear—to assist Ukrainian first responders amid the Russian invasion. Fire engines from Kern County, California, were also sent, reducing the capacity to redeploy units to Los Angeles, where wildfires have destroyed thousands of acres and numerous homes.
The Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, has already claimed at least two civilian lives and, like the Palisades Fire west of downtown Los Angeles, remains at zero percent containment. Reports indicate that firefighting efforts in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu are being hindered by insufficient water pressure at fire hydrants. Kern County sent a 500-gallon water tanker to Ukraine late last year.
