Signal Hill Joins L.A. County
The Signal Hill, Calif., City Council recently voted to merge its fire department with that of Los Angeles County. Effective July 1, it became a unified operation. The small, heavy oil-producing and industrial city thus became the first incorporated community to give up its own fire service and to contract with the County’s Consolidated Fire Protection District for services in what may prove to be a precedent-making action. All members of the Signal Hill Fire Department, including Chief Lloyd Colson, were absorbed by Los Angeles County.
The agreement was reached after deep and thorough consideration by the city’s leaders and was precipitated when Long Beach notified Signal Hill that Long Beach equipment would no longer respond on mutual aid. It was Long Beach and Los Angeles County equipment which helped the small Signal Hill department finally control last year’s major Hancock Refinery blaze.
When County jurisdiction took over, it marked the end of a 34-year cycle. The Signal Hill Fire Protection District was formed in 1924 under County administration and was dissolved in 1925 when the city incorporated. Los Angeles County currently provides fire protection for 17 incorporated cities—but all of these were under county protection at the time of their incorporation.
