Hermosa Beach Hosts Town Hall Meetings to Discuss Future of Fire Department

HERMOSA BEACH, CA — As the city mulls shuttering its fire department and outsourcing its firefighting needs to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Hermosa Beach will be hosting two town-hall meetings to get residents inputs.

The Hermosa Beach Fire Department is currently suffering from staffing shortages from the recession and has yet to cover. Firefighters are regularly working 70-hour week, diminishing morale not to mention exhaustion, which could affect safety, a fire captain told the City Council in April.

The meetings will consist of a presentation of service levels by Interim Hermosa Beach Fire Department Chief Pete Bonano, and review the city's options for staffing the fire department and the associated costs relating to the future of fire services. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

The first meeting is set for Wednesday, Aug. 24 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, 1315 Valley Drive. This meeting will be recorded and broadcast on www.hermosabch.org.

The second meeting will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26 at the Community Theater, 710 Pier Ave.

In addition to these town-hall meetings, Bonano will also meet privately with local community groups to review the presentation detailing the different scenarios for staffing and answer questions within the group.

To schedule a meeting with the chief, contact Gina Konrad at (310) 318-0328 or via email at gkonrad@hermosabch.org.

Additional information is also available on the city's website, www.hermosabch.org.

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