Brief

The Board of Fire Commissioners submitted a Letter of Agreement between the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Port of Los Angeles concerning fireboat maintenance, reimbursement, and implementation. The file was initially referred to the Public Safety Committee in September 2024. A revised Board of Fire Commissioners report was submitted in June 2026 and referred to both the Public Safety Committee and the Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee. The matter remains pending committee action.

Full summary

The Los Angeles Fire Department operates and staffs five fireboats at the Port of Los Angeles around the clock, providing fire protection and emergency response across the harbor and surrounding waterways. All maintenance costs for these vessels are currently front-funded by LAFD and then reimbursed by the Port, but the existing process lacks formal structure, leading to delays in approvals and reimbursements. This Letter of Agreement, submitted by Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley and approved by the Board of Fire Commissioners in September 2024, seeks to fix that by establishing a standardized, documented system for planning, approving, and reimbursing fireboat maintenance. The Port has committed $2 million for fireboat maintenance in fiscal year 2024-25. The agreement sets up a tiered maintenance planning structure. LAFD must submit an Annual Plan to the Port by September 30 each year covering anticipated maintenance costs for the coming fiscal year, along with a rolling three-year Operational Plan and a ten-year Strategic Plan. Routine work covered by the approved Annual Plan proceeds without additional Port sign-off; emergency repairs under $10,000 are automatically approved upon LAFD notification; and emergency repairs exceeding $10,000 require prior Port approval, with a 15-day window for the Port to deny a request before it is presumed approved. For out-of-scope work above $10,000, LAFD must submit a formal written request. The Port will engage a marine engineering firm as a subject matter expert to evaluate cost appropriateness. Reimbursements are due within 60 days of a documented request, and any approved work not completed within the fiscal year cannot be carried over for reimbursement. Disputes are resolved by a five-member panel drawn from both departments and the General Services Division. The agreement has an initial term of three years, automatically renewing in three-year increments up to a maximum of 15 years. The file was first referred to the Public Safety Committee in September 2024. In June 2026, the Board of Fire Commissioners resubmitted the report with the full executed agreement attached, prompting a corrected dual referral to both the Public Safety Committee and the Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee. The Public Safety Committee scheduled the item for its June 10, 2026 meeting. The file remains open and pending committee action, with a council file expiration date of June 5, 2028.

Activity (6)

• 2026-06-09 Corrected Referral per City Clerk to include Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee.
• 2026-06-05 Public Safety Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on June 10, 2026.
• 2026-06-05 Board of Fire Commissioners document(s) referred to Public Safety Committee.
• 2026-06-05 Document submitted by Board of Fire Commissioners, dated June 4, 2026.
• 2024-09-19 Board of Fire Commissioners document(s) referred to Public Safety Committee.
• 2024-09-18 Document(s) submitted by Board of Fire Commissioners, as follows:Board of Fire Commissioners report 24-086, dated September 17, 2024, relative to the Letter of Agreement between the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Port of Los Angeles.

Documents (3)

• 2026-06-10 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-06-04 Report from Board of Fire Commissioners · report
• 2024-09-17 Report from Board of Fire Commissioners · report