Long Beach Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan is retiring after more than 33 years with the department, closing out a tenure that brought new fire stations and an expanded ambulance fleet but also deep budget cuts and warnings over response times. His last day on the job will be Dec. 11.
Buchanan joined the Long Beach Fire Department in 1993, according to Long Beach Post, after a career playing professional soccer in Mexico, Brazil and Holland. He climbed through the ranks over the following decades, earning a promotion to fire captain in 2002 and then to battalion chief and assistant chief in 2019, before taking over as fire chief in February 2023 after former Chief Xavier Espino stepped down.
In doing so, Buchanan became the department's first Black-and-Latino chief, a milestone Mayor Rex Richardson said reflected “dedication, perseverance and a commitment to opening doors for others.” City Manager Tom Modica said Buchanan's legacy “will be felt for years” and that the city is grateful for his service.
New Stations and an Expanded Ambulance Fleet
Buchanan's roughly three-year run as chief ushered in two new fire stations: Station 20 at the Port of Long Beach and Station 9 in the Los Cerritos neighborhood. The department also added its first around-the-clock ambulance unit in four decades in 2025, a response to what the department described as increased demand on its paramedics, the outlet reports.
Budget Cuts and Engine 14's Closure
Not every chapter of Buchanan's tenure was expansion. A few months ago, the department eliminated dozens of full-time positions and shut down Engine 14 near the Colorado Lagoon, cuts that trimmed about $3.88 million from the department's $200 million annual operating budget, per the same account. Community members and firefighters had warned the reductions would increase response times.
Those same proposed cuts, detailed earlier this year by NBC Los Angeles, were expected to eliminate 29 sworn positions and 4.5 civilian positions while saving approximately $3.88 million by taking Engine 14 out of service. That station had been responding to roughly 2,200 calls a year, most of them medical calls, and the station reported at the time that the cuts were not yet final and depended on the city's broader budget process. Long Beach was separately preparing for heightened emergency demand tied to the 2028 Summer Olympics, with plans to bring in an incident management team from outside agencies.
Union Reaction and a Wave of Departures
Lamont Nguyen, president of the city firefighters union, wished Buchanan and his family well in retirement while welcoming the chance to work with a new chief. Nguyen said he hopes whoever takes over will challenge the status quo.
Buchanan's departure lands amid a broader shakeup among Long Beach's public safety leadership. Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish has also announced plans to retire in December, and Reginald Harris, director of the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications, announced his own retirement earlier this month.
What Comes Next
The city manager plans to run a nationwide search for Buchanan's replacement, considering both internal and external candidates. A new fire chief is expected to be in place by early 2027, leaving the department to navigate the transition while still working through the aftermath of this year's budget reductions.
