Long Beach approves firefighters— contract that adds a full-time paramedic rescue

The Long Beach City Council on Nov. 11 approved a successor memorandum of understanding with the Long Beach Firefighters Association that negotiators said both raises compensation and expands department resources.

Sarah Green of Human Resources told the council the tentative agreement covers about 411 employees in the bargaining unit and "focuses not only on pay increases but also on enhancing fire department resources to respond to the increased calls of service." The contract includes the addition of a full-time paramedic rescue vehicle and associated six full-time equivalent positions to staff it, city staff said.

Lamont, the firefighters— representative who addressed the council, thanked officials and framed the pact as a community investment: "For the first time, our contract doesn't just invest in our members, it invests in our community through the addition of the full time rescue," he said.

Councilmembers praised both labor and city negotiators for reaching agreement. Councilmember Thrash Ntuk said the pact honors firefighters— service and will help with response capacity; other members emphasized the need for continued capital investments in station facilities.

The council voted to adopt the agreement; the city manager said staff will finalize details and return in the coming weeks with information about where the new rescue will be placed and the timeline to staff the unit.

Next steps: the city will complete final implementation planning and publicize station placement and service start dates once staffing decisions and data analysis are complete.