By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation paid a celebrity public relations firm to assist with messaging after the deadly Palisades Fire.
• The foundation used donated funds, though neither it nor the department disclosed how much was spent or exactly what services were provided.
• The PR firm, The Lede Company, represents high-profile entertainment clients.
• The expenditure comes amid scrutiny of edits to the LAFD’s after-action report on the wildfire.
• Officials have not confirmed whether the PR firm influenced changes to the official report.
(LOS ANGELES, CA —) The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, a nonprofit that raises funds for training and equipment, paid a celebrity public relations firm to help shape communications following the deadly Palisades Fire, according to reports.
The foundation used donated funds to contract The Lede Company, a firm whose clientele includes well-known entertainment figures, to provide strategic communications support in the months after the wildfire, officials said.
Neither foundation nor LAFD representatives disclosed the amount paid or specific services the PR firm performed, and a Lede spokesperson declined comment, according to reporting.
The arrangement has drawn attention amid heightened scrutiny of the department’s after-action report on the Palisades Fire, which some former authors said was altered in ways that downplayed key findings about preparedness and response.
Officials have not confirmed whether the public relations firm played any role in editing or revising the wildfire report, and the department cited legal proceedings in declining to answer detailed questions.