A December 4 memo viewed by Fox News Digital shows the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) chief warned of dire budget cuts which would affect its ability to respond to large-scale emergencies, like wildfires, a month before the devastating fires currently ravaging California.

AFD Chief Kristin Crowley’s memo discusses what she described as the “cascading impacts” the cost-saving measures would have on the department. Specifically, that the near $18 million budget cut had plunged it into “unprecedented operational challenges” which would hamper its ability to respond to large-scale emergencies like wildfires.

Fox News reports that the budget measures were signed off by LA Mayor Karen Bass — whose leadership has also come in for scrutiny — and she has denied the cuts have hindered the city’s response. The cuts come into effect on July 1, 2024.

Crowley wrote that those reductions eliminated critical civilian positions and about $7 million from the LAFD’s overtime budget, known as “v-hours.”

“These budgetary reductions have adversely affected the department’s ability to maintain core operations, such as technology and communication infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention and community education,” Crowley wrote.

“The reduction in v-hours … has severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires, earthquakes, hazardous materials incidents and large public events,” Crowley wrote in the memo.

According to a report from NBC Los Angeles, the 21-page memo, titled “Los Angeles Fire Department Service Impacts on Operations,” then went into further detail about the budget-slashing effects. It was presented last month to the Board of Fire Commissioners, a panel of mayoral appointees who oversee the management of the department.

Bass was asked about the budget cuts at a press conference Thursday and denied the cuts diminished the city’s response. “There were no reductions that were made that would have impacted the situation that we were dealing with over the last couple of days,” Bass said.

“And then there was a little bit there was a little bit of confusion because money was allocated to be distributed later on, which was actually going to support salaries and other parts of the fire department that were distributed a little later. So I think it’s most important to understand that we were in tough budgetary times. Everybody knew that, but that the impact of our budget really did not impact what we’ve been going through over the last few days.”

Crowley told reporters Thursday that the Palisades Fire, which remained 0% contained as of Friday morning, “is one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles.”