Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public hearing spotlights firefighter shortages; council adopts AB 2561 hearing procedures
Summary
At a June 17 council meeting, Imperial Beach officials and the firefighters’ union described severe recruitment and retention challenges that have left the department with critical vacancies. Council adopted a policy to formalize annual public hearings under Assembly Bill 2561 and approved salary adjustments tied to earlier labor agreements.
A public hearing on municipal staffing on June 17 put firefighter vacancies and recruitment at the center of Imperial Beach’s City Council meeting.
Human Resources Director Nadia Smith told the council that the city held 27 recruitments in fiscal year 2025–26 and reviewed 2,088 applications, but vacancy rates vary by bargaining group. The Imperial Beach Firefighters Association (IBFA) met the 20% vacancy threshold the law requires the city to report: IBFA’s current vacancy rate was 25%, and the department has open positions for a captain, an engineer and a firefighter, Smith said.
The city’s fire chief described recruitment difficulties driven by a smaller post‑COVID pool of candidates with fire‑academy experience, lengthy academy and onboarding timelines, and competition from neighboring agencies and ambulance providers. Chief French said the department has filled some roles recently but must sometimes place recruits through academies that delay full operational staffing. “Hiring does not equal staffing,” he told the council, noting that new hires often require months of training before replacing patrol responsibilities.
Representatives of the firefighters’ association and several residents told the council the vacancies are already straining services and increasing overtime and injury risk. An IBFA speaker said the department averages about 3,000 calls a year and is the busiest single‑station jurisdiction in the county when adjusted for call volume; residents urged faster corrective action and improved retention.
In response, the council voted unanimously to adopt a proposed policy and procedures for holding the annual AB 2561 public hearings (resolution 2026‑069), which establishes how the city will present vacancy and recruitment information and handle notifications when a vacancy group reaches the law’s 20% threshold. Council members also discussed staff alerts to the mayor and select council members when interim vacancy concerns arise so elected officials can be informed between annual hearings.
Separately in the meeting, the council adopted a salary schedule amendment reflecting previously negotiated memoranda of understanding: SEIU and unrepresented employees will receive a 2% cost‑of‑living adjustment and IBFA a 2.5% adjustment effective July 1, 2026 (resolution 2026‑063). HR director Nadia Smith said the amendments were already included in the adopted FY 2025–27 budget assumptions.
What happens next: staff will continue recruitments for the captain, engineer and firefighter classifications, coordinate additional testing and academy slots, and provide notice to associated employee groups if vacancy thresholds are exceeded. The council encouraged ongoing dialogue among management, firefighters and HR to explore retention, pipeline and compensation options.
