LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A current employee of L.A. County's Office of Emergency Management is alleging a now former colleague, who had a crucial role as the Eaton Fire raged the first night in Altadena, was, at times, asleep on the job.
Nick Vaquero filed an official complaint with the county last year but is now speaking with 7 On Your Side Investigates out of frustration, saying the office needs reform.
Vaquero is currently an associate director with the Office of Emergency Management.
"You're supposed to be the one that's kind of keeping an eye on the whole operational picture," said Vaquero as he described the role of the Emergency Operations Center director.
That's a leading position inside the county's Emergency Operations Center when it's activated.
Vaquero says the EOC Director oversees everyone in the room.
On January 7, 2025, at 7 p.m., so shortly after the Eaton Fire sparked, Vaquero says now retired OEM employee Steve Lieberman started his 12-hour shift in the EOC Director role.
At 5:30 a.m. the next morning, Vaquero says he came in to replace him.
"So as I'm walking in, Steve walks out of his office, and as loud as he could for the entire Emergency Operations center to hear, he yells, 'I don't know why we're even activated, nothing's happening.' To which I obviously got very angry and screamed at him to look at the TVs," Vaquero told ABC7.
Vaquero says he then spoke to overnight staff at the EOC to get a debrief.
"They told me that he was sleeping," Vaquero...
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