Photograph from the West Valley during the 2018 Woolsey Fire
In close coordination with the LAFD and industry experts, Councilmember Blumenfield led the push to expand Fire District 1 to better secure newly constructed buildings in dense areas with a recent history of mass fires. As the DaVinci and Woolsey fires show, allowing LA’s building standards to languish behind the crisis of climate change, more frequent wildfires, more hillside building, and city densification tees-up the risk of more damaging and dangerous fires. Based on Fire District 1’s record of success and benefit to downtown and Hollywood, Blumenfield led the initiative to make more buildings protected by these rules which slow down fires, enabling LAFD’s firefighters more time to save lives and buildings.