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Council authorizes letter approving revised county fire staffing model; FY26‑27 estimate about $10.05M
Summary
Council authorized the city manager to execute a letter approving Riverside County Fire’s updated staffing model that increases paramedic assignments; staff projected the FY2026–27 cost at approximately $10.05 million but recommended budgeting $10 million, noting historical year‑end surpluses due to vacancies and mid‑year staffing ramp‑up.
Beaumont — The Beaumont City Council on May 5 authorized city staff to send a formal letter accepting Riverside County Fire Department’s updated staffing model, a step required for the county to implement additional paramedic positions and revised engine staffing in July.
City staff presented an estimated FY2026–27 cost of about $10.05 million for the county fire protection agreement, covering personnel, operations and support. Staff recommended budgeting $10 million, citing historical year‑end surpluses in the contract—about $1.6 million in FY 2023–24, $312,000 in FY 2024–25 and roughly $230,000 in the current year—attributable to vacancies and lower overtime. "Historically, the city has realized a year‑end surpluses in this contract," staff said.
County chiefs described the staffing changes: Chief Hopkins said the model will provide a captain, engineer (driver) and firefighter each day, with at least one paramedic on the crew; previously some apparatus were staffed without dedicated paramedics. Chief Fish and Chief Hopkins said recruitment and changes in paramedic hiring rules have helped countywide paramedic staffing recover after COVID‑era shortages.
Council asked how much of the county’s stated $750 million bond amount discussed earlier applied locally and sought clarity on which engines are ALS (advance life support) versus BLS (basic life support). Staff clarified that the $750 million related to the national bond transaction discussed in the TEFRA matter and confirmed the Beaumont allocation in that bond resolution was identified separately.
Council moved and approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute the staffing‑approval letter required by the county to implement the staffing adjustments. The motion passed by roll call; all members voted yes.
What happens next: after the city manager’s letter, the county will finalize the FY26–27 agreement and present a multi‑year proposal; staff said some new positions are not expected to be fully staffed until mid‑year and anticipated about six months of salary savings to partially offset the initial costs.
