Whistleblower Complaint Alleges Emergency Management Employee Slept During Eaton Fire Response

A whistleblower complaint filed by a Los Angeles County emergency management employee alleges that a colleague assigned to a key leadership role during the early hours of the Eaton Fire response was asleep for portions of the shift, according to a report by Eyewitness News Channel 7.

The complaint centers on activity inside the county’s Emergency Operations Center during the first night of the wildfire that erupted Jan. 7, 2025, in Altadena.

The Emergency Operations Center coordinates the county’s overall response during disasters, bringing together officials from multiple departments to monitor conditions and support field operations.

The employee who filed the complaint told Eyewitness News that the individual assigned to serve as Emergency Operations Center director overnight had a crucial responsibility to monitor the operational picture during the unfolding wildfire response. According to the complaint, staff members working overnight said the director was asleep at times or absent from the operations floor during portions of the shift.

The whistleblower told the station he arrived early the following morning to take over the role and was informed by staff that the director had been sleeping during the overnight activation. The director’s position is responsible for overseeing coordination within the operations center during emergencies.

Three people who were inside the Emergency Operations Center during all or part of the overnight shift told the television station they either saw the director sleeping or did not see him present in the operations center for significant stretches of time.

Los Angeles County officials said in a statement to Eyewitness News that the employee in question did not have responsibility for issuing evacuation alerts or warnings during the wildfire response. The county said those alerts are issued based on decisions made by unified command in the field and then relayed directly to the county’s alert and warning unit.

County officials acknowledged that it would be unacceptable for any emergency management employee to fall asleep during an active response but said the employee’s role had no impact on the timing of alerts or warnings sent to residents during the Eaton Fire.

The county said the allegations have been forwarded for investigation through established whistleblower and internal review processes.

Officials overseeing the Office of Emergency Management also said they did not personally observe the employee sleeping during the emergency activation.

In a statement provided to Eyewitness News, leadership said they were present in the Emergency Operations Center during the overnight operational period and observed the employee awake and performing assigned responsibilities when they were there.

The whistleblower, who remains employed by the county, told the television station he believes the emergency management office remains significantly understaffed. At the time of the Eaton Fire, the office had about 37 staff members responsible for planning and coordinating disaster responses across Los Angeles County.

County officials said the Office of Emergency Management is seeking a budget increase that would allow it to add more than 40 additional staff members to strengthen its ability to respond to large-scale emergencies.

The office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger confirmed to Eyewitness News that a formal whistleblower complaint has been filed regarding the allegations.

In a statement to the station, Barger said the claims are serious and deserve a full review through the county’s investigative process.

“Residents of Los Angeles County deserve absolute confidence in the integrity and readiness of our emergency management system,” Barger said in the statement.

The whistleblower report was filed in October 2025, according to the station. The employee accused in the complaint had already retired by that time.

The Eaton Fire was one of several wildfires that burned in Southern California during a period of extreme fire conditions, prompting a large-scale emergency response and evacuations in parts of Altadena and surrounding communities.

The allegations remain under investigation.