Long Beach Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan to Retire December 11 After More Than Three Decades
The City of Long Beach, in Los Angeles County, California, has announced that Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan will retire on December 11, 2026, after more than three decades of service to the city. His last day of service will coincide with the graduation of the Long Beach Fire Department's 2026A Fire Academy.
Buchanan joined the Long Beach Fire Department in 1993 and rose through the ranks — firefighter, paramedic, captain, battalion chief and assistant chief — before becoming fire chief in February 2023, the department's first Black and Latino chief. He oversees approximately 790 sworn and civilian staff across five bureaus and nine divisions, with an annual operating budget of approximately $200 million.
The city said it will conduct a national recruitment for the next fire chief, open to qualified internal and external candidates, with an announcement of Buchanan's successor expected in early 2027. Buchanan's retirement was announced about a week after the city said Police Chief Wally Hebeish will also step down in December, putting both of Long Beach's public safety departments under new leadership around the end of the year.
(Source: City of Long Beach)
Source: City of Long Beach
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Photo: 长滩市政中心。 The Long Beach Civic Center. Public domain，摄影：长滩市政府 City of Long Beach。图片来源 Source image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Long_Beach_Civic_Center.jpg
