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Los Angeles County officials are calling for an independent investigation to review the emergency alert system used during the recent Eaton and Palisades Fires to warn residents to evacuate.At least 28 people died in the wildfire outbreak.The call for an investigation comes in the wake of a Los Angeles Times report revealing residents in western Altadena did not receive electronic evacuation orders until several hours after the Eaton Fire had started, raising the question of whether any of those deaths could have been prevented. The delay in evacuation orders has raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of the county's emergency response system.County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath introduced a motion Tuesday to "retain a consultant to review the evacuation policies and emergency alert notification systems utilized by the county and its partners in responding to the Palisades and Eaton Fires."One longtime resident of Altadena, Vester Pittman, told CNN he never received an evacuation alert. He woke up at 2 a.m. and saw the fire was across the street. He and his grandson jumped into their pre-packed truck and escaped before his house burned down."I'm not surprised the government was not doing their job –I'm just glad me and my grandson got out in time," said Pittman.The motion calls for a third-party review of actions taken by the county sheriff's and fire departments and the county's Office of Emergency Management."While I deeply appreciate the heroic efforts of our first responders, we owe it to our communities to assess and review our emergency notification systems," Barger said in a statement Tuesday. "Our Board is committed to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement in the face of increasingly severe natural disasters. This independent assessment will also ensure we are better prepared for future disasters and can act swiftly to protect lives and property."Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna is supportive of the scrutiny."I welcome and appreciate their leadership in doing that, because we all need to know in an after-action what happened, how it happened, why it happened. We need those level of details."CNN has reached out to the county's fire department and the county emergency management office for comment.The motion will again go before the county board of supervisors next week.CNN's Stephanie Becker contributed to this report
CNN —
Los Angeles County officials are calling for an independent investigation to review the emergency alert system used during the recent Eaton and Palisades Fires to warn residents to evacuate.
At least 28 people died in the wildfire outbreak.
The call for an investigation comes in the wake of a Los Angeles Times report revealing residents in western Altadena did not receive electronic evacuation orders until several hours after the Eaton Fire had started, raising the question of whether any of those deaths could have been prevented. The delay in evacuation orders has raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of the county's emergency response system.
County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath introduced a motion Tuesday to "retain a consultant to review the evacuation policies and emergency alert notification systems utilized by the county and its partners in responding to the Palisades and Eaton Fires."
One longtime resident of Altadena, Vester Pittman, told CNN he never received an evacuation alert. He woke up at 2 a.m. and saw the fire was across the street. He and his grandson jumped into their pre-packed truck and escaped before his house burned down.
"I'm not surprised the government was not doing their job –I'm just glad me and my grandson got out in time," said Pittman.
The motion calls for a third-party review of actions taken by the county sheriff's and fire departments and the county's Office of Emergency Management.
"While I deeply appreciate the heroic efforts of our first responders, we owe it to our communities to assess and review our emergency notification systems," Barger said in a statement Tuesday. "Our Board is committed to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement in the face of increasingly severe natural disasters. This independent assessment will also ensure we are better prepared for future disasters and can act swiftly to protect lives and property."
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna is supportive of the scrutiny.
"I welcome and appreciate their leadership in doing that, because we all need to know in an after-action what happened, how it happened, why it happened. We need those level of details."
CNN has reached out to the county's fire department and the county emergency management office for comment.
The motion will again go before the county board of supervisors next week.
CNN's Stephanie Becker contributed to this report
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