Seven years after it was sidelined because of budget cuts, an important piece of firefighting equipment will soon return to East Long Beach, according to a memo from the fire chief.
Fire Engine 17 will be back in operation at its station near the Traffic Circle starting at 8 a.m. on Oct. 16, Chief Xavier Espino wrote this week.
“The restoration of Fire Engine 17 will provide much-needed firefighting and emergency medical response capability not only to the immediate area, but to the entire city as well,” Espino said in a Sept. 30 memo to the City Council.
Adding the engine back into the mix could improve response times by up to a minute and a half in its service area, and by up to 30 seconds throughout the city, according to previous estimates from fire officials.
Back in 2012, Engine 17 was cut from the station at 2241 Argonne Ave. leaving a hole in the surrounding service area that worried residents.
In September, the City Council voted to use $5.9 million in one-time sales tax revenue from Measure A to restore Engine 17. That money was estimated to keep the engine running for the next two years while officials work out longer-term funding.
Measure A is a 1% sales tax increase approved by voters in 2016 to fund public safety and infrastructure.
With Engine 17 returning, the fire department will move out a paramedic rescue ambulance that had been operating out of Station 17, according to Espino’s memo.
The ambulance will instead be headquartered in nearby Fire Station 22 at 6340 Atherton St.
“This move will allow room for Fire Engine 17, Ladder Truck 17, Engine 22, Rescue 22, and their respective crews to be properly housed,” Espino wrote. “Furthermore, Fire Department analysis concludes that, due to its location and proximity to the 405 Freeway, Fire Station 22 provides the best location from which the rescue could serve the East Long Beach area and the rest of the city.”