Hermosa Beach OKs Fire Department Takeover By County

HERMOSA BEACH, CA -- Hermosa Beach City Council unanimously voted last week to let the county take over the city's Fire Department. The vote came after more than a year of public debate.

The 15-member Hermosa Beach Fire Department was suffering from staffing shortages from the recession and has never fully covered. Firefighters are regularly working 70-hour week, diminishing morale not to mention exhaustion, which could affect safety, a fire captain told the city council last year.

“We’re committed to not kicking the can down the road,” Councilwoman Stacey Armato said at the meeting last Tuesday before the vote. “We’re at the point we need to do what’s best for our firefighters and their families.

“I don’t take this decision lightly. Our job is to do what’s best for the community.”

The Los Angeles County Fire Department will integrate with the city's department before fully taking over in January next year. The county has agreed to hire all of the city's firefighters and paramedics.

Council members said the move to shutter the city's fire department was needed because the firefighters themselves advocated for it.

“This was an emotional issue from the get-go,” Mayor Justin Massey said. “But the facts simply stack up in favor of moving to L.A. County for all the reasons we talked about. The county simply provides a higher level of service.”

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