Who Is Kristine Larson? Los Angeles Fire Department’s Diversity Chief Sparks Fury for Defending DEI and Blaming Fire Victims in Viral Video

As Los Angeles confronts its most devastating fire in history, the fire department’s highly-paid diversity chief is facing severe backlash after a controversial comment resurfaced, appearing to defend DEI hiring by shifting blame onto victims.

In a resurfaced 2019 public relations video, Deputy Chief Kristine Larson, who oversees the Equity and Human Rights Bureau, defended the fire department’s implementation of DEI hiring practices. Larson, who leads the Equity and Human Resources Bureau, then responded to concerns about whether female firefighters could aptly handle carrying a man out of a burning building, saying simply, “He got himself in the wrong place if I have to carry him out of a fire.”

In the Line of Fire

The video gained widespread attention on social media after the fire department was caught unprepared when wildfires erupted and began ravaging Pacific Palisades — one of Los Angeles’ oldest and most affluent neighborhoods — last week.

The Palisades Fire, now …