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Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Communications

OUR MISSION

To protect the lives and property of the community and first responders through comprehensive planning, training, and communication to ensure that daily requests for emergency services, as well as preparedness, response, and recovery from major emergencies and disasters is completed in an effective and efficient manner.

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What We Do

9-1-1 EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

Long Beach 9-1-1 DispatcherThe Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications is home to the City of Long Beach 9-1-1 Public Safety Dispatchers. Our dispatchers are the City’s first, "first responders", connecting residents with Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services. They are the first to respond to emergency calls for service from our residents to help ensure a swift response by law enforcement and fire personnel. Equally as important, 9-1-1 dispatchers relay information to first responders in the field to ensure their safety and the safety of the community. Dispatcher recruitment is continuously open and ongoing.

Disaster Preparedness 

The Disaster Preparedness Division provides educational resources to our residents to assist them in preparing for a disaster, to be self-sustaining for up to five days, and to return to normalcy as quickly as possible. An earthquake is the most probable disaster for Long Beach because of the city's proximity to numerous fault lines. Other potential natural hazards associated with Long Beach's location on the Pacific rim include tsunamis, flooding and sea level rise. Disaster Preparedness facilitates a number of community events to engage with the public and provide resources to help Long Beach families become more resilient in the face of disaster.

Emergency Operations Center

Managed by the Disaster Preparedness Division, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) serves as the hub for the City's emergency response efforts. The EOC provides the physical location for highly trained staff across multiple city departments, as well as county, state and federal representatives, to strengthen the City's ability to respond to a disaster. The EOC contains state-of-the-art technology to coordinate requests for resources, information sharing, and crisis communications. The EOC provides a unified and coordinated response to a disaster. 

Homeland Security Grants Program

The Homeland Security Grants Division oversees the administration of the City of Long Beach's Homeland Security Grants Program. On an annual basis, we manage millions of dollars for the City through the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI), State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) and Port Security Grant Program (PSGP). These funds are used to purchase emergency operations equipment, provide training for first responders, and support Citywide homeland security projects. These grants, distributed across multiple municipalities and agencies, assist in providing a coordinated regional response to a disaster.


Latest News

Storm Advisory
High winds and intermittent periods of heavy precipitation are also anticipated citywide. The storm system is expected to arrive early Sunday morning, Aug. 20, and into Monday, Aug. 21. Learn more.
Tsunami Week 2023 - Website Homepage Graphic
Join us on March 27 for a panel discussion at the Aquarium of the Pacific to learn more about tsunami science and preparedness.
Join LB 911 - Square

Join us on October 20 or 25 to learn how to become a dispatcher directly from Long Beach 9-1-1’s very own.

News Archive »

Press Releases

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach Department of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Communications, responsible for the delivery of the City’s Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services, is launching their “Help Us Help You” campaign to reduce the number of non-emergency calls answered by 9-1-1 Dispatchers. Through the educational campaign, the City encourages residents to “‘Help Us’ reduce the number of non-emergency calls answered by 9-1-1 dispatchers, so the City can ‘Help You’ by more quickly answering and responding to emergency calls for service.”
The City of Long Beach Department of Disaster Preparedness invites community members to participate in Tsunami Awareness Week events and activities, taking place Monday, March 27 through Friday, March 31, 2023, to learn how to prepare for a tsunami. Residents are encouraged to get informed, learn the warning signs of a tsunami and develop and practice an evacuation plan at home and place of work.
The City of Long Beach encourages residents to participate in the Great ShakeOut, an annual earthquake drill, taking place at 10:20 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20. Originally named the Great California Earthquake Drill, this earthquake safety drill is now practiced around the world with more than 40 million participants last year.
Press Release Archive »