Long Beach, Atlantic Beach renew fire aid contract

Posted

The City of Long Beach has been providing fire response services to Atlantic Beach since 1990. For the last 35 years, the city’s volunteer firefighters have been the primary care providers in fire-related instances.

With the current contract expiring, the city announced entering into a new inter-municipal agreement with the Atlantic Beach Fire District at the council meeting on Jan. 21 to continue offering automatic aid to the area. The new extension is for five years, up until Dec. 31, 2029. The city will also act as the secondary response for EMS calls.

When Long Beach firefighters respond to calls in Atlantic Beach, it has traditionally been the volunteer department that go out, not the paid firefighters.

“When we did the contract originally in 1990 it was for the volunteer response, and that’s what we’ve done since then,” Commissioner Joseph Miller said. “Right now, the volunteers handle the calls and we don’t have issues. There is no reason to change something if it’s not broken. That’s what we’ve done with Atlantic Beach, that’s what we’ve done with the fire department, and that’s what we’ve done protecting the city.”

Sam Pinto, a Long Beach professional firefighter, brought up questions about the contract, asking why the paid department isn’t also sent out when providing services to Atlantic Beach.

“Atlantic Beach relies on Long Beach, and the contract is between the City of Long Beach as a whole, and not specifically with either the volunteers or the career,” Pinto said. “I don’t want to take away anything from the volunteers, I think they’ve added a valuable service in fire protection and EMS services. It wouldn’t be an overwhelming bearing, but it would provide valuable protection to the village of Atlantic Beach in the agreement.”

The agreement states that Long Beach will continue offering 24/7 responses to all fire-related alarms located in Atlantic Beach, from the Sands and going all the way west.

The city will remain the primary responder to fire and non-medical emergencies and will be the supplemental responder for ambulance and medical rescue calls. The Atlantic Beach Rescue Unit or Lawrence Cedarhurst Rescue will be providing the EMS services. If either are unable to respond, then Long Beach would be next up in those situations.

“I would like the paid Long Beach Fire Department to work in Long Beach, primarily, and go to Atlantic Beach when it’s an emergency, and necessary,” City Council President Brendan Finn said.

Over the course of the five-year agreement, Long Beach will make just under $409,000 for providing the fire aid services. The city will be bringing in less revenue than the previous agreement, but the city will also be providing fewer services without the frequent EMS responses.