This news update is brought to you by the City of Long Beach. To find out more about City programs, projects, initiatives and services, please visit longbeach.gov. To find events near you, please visit the City calendar at www.longbeach.gov/events. And follow us on social media @longbeachcity.
Long Beach Strengthens Emergency Response with Expanded Fire and EMS Resources
By Staff Writer
Published on Wed, Feb 4, 2026
When emergencies happen, every second counts — and Long Beach is making sure help arrives faster than ever. The City has restored and expanded critical fire and emergency medical resources, adding new paramedic support and strategically updating staffing to strengthen response across every corner of the community.
Announced during a Jan. 26, 2026, press conference, the enhancements officially took effect Dec. 1, 2025, and are already making an impact. Key updates include activating Rescue 2 as a 24/7 advanced life support unit serving downtown, deploying Rescue 13 to West Long Beach during peak hours, adding a paramedic to Engine 11 in North Long Beach and relocating Basic Life Support Ambulance 13 to Station 9 to serve the Bixby Knolls area.
Together, these improvements expand lifesaving coverage, ease workload pressures on firefighters and paramedics and better position the City to meet rising emergency call volumes.
The new EMS resources are funded through a mix of Fiscal Year 2026 budget enhancements, labor agreements with the Long Beach Firefighters Association and Developer Impact Fees — a strategic investment in public safety designed to support Long Beach today and into the future.
Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 20, 2026, the Fire Department responded to more than 750 calls across Rescue 2, Rescue 13 and Engine 11. Rescue 2 handled 257 calls with an average response time of 6 minutes and 48 seconds, Rescue 13 responded to 164 calls averaging 7 minutes and 18 seconds, and Engine 11 recorded the fastest response time at 6 minutes and 24 seconds after responding to 335 calls.
Compared with the same period last year, average response times dropped by 30 seconds — from 7:36 to 7:06. Availability of emergency units also surged, with instances of all rescue ambulances being unavailable for more than one minute falling from 56 last January to just two this year.
The upgrades reflect Long Beach’s continued focus on proactive planning, smart investment and delivering reliable emergency care when residents need it most.
As the City continues to evaluate service demands and invest in critical infrastructure, these enhancements ensure firefighters and paramedics are equipped to respond quickly, effectively and with greater coverage than ever before.
To learn more about Fire Department resources, visit longbeach.gov/fire.
