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Firefighter Chris Parker died unexpectedly on Friday, February 8th, 2019, while he was at home. Chris was a seasoned Long Beach Firefighter who was well respected by his peers. This is a difficult time for the fire department, his friends, and his family. In keeping with our tradition, Chris will be honored in a way that is respectful and fitting based on his service to our City.

The Memorial Service for Chris will take place on Wednesday, February 20th, 2019 at 1400 hrs. All uniformed personnel are asked to be at the church at 1300 hrs. to assemble. The memorial service will take place at EvFree Church located at 2801 Brea Boulevard in Fullerton, CA.  All uniform personnel are asked to wear their Class A uniforms with their cover. Black mourning bands will be available at the church if you need them. All off-duty personnel are invited to attend.  
 
On Monday, February 18, 2019, there will be a flag ceremony at Fire Station 13. This was his last duty assignment as a firefighter. The Long Beach Fire Department Honor Guard will conduct the ceremony. This ceremony is scheduled for 1200 hrs. All uniform personnel are asked to wear their Class A uniform with their cover. All off-duty personnel are invited to attend. 
 
On Tuesday, February 19, 2019, there will be a viewing at the McAulay and Wallace Mortuary. The viewing is opened to all fire department personnel and to the public. The viewing will take place from 1700-2000 hrs. The mortuary is located at 902 North Harbor Boulevard in Fullerton. Class A uniforms are requested.
 
The Parker family has asked that the Long Beach Fire Department take the lead on the services and to coordinate with outside departments that have inquired about the memorial and their participation. The Long Beach Fire Department Honor Guard will perform all honors.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made “In Memory of Firefighter Chris Parker” to the Long Beach Fireman’s Mutual Benefit Association Widows Mite Fund through the Long Beach Firemen’s Credit Union, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (https://bit.ly/2BDxOwF), or the Wounded Warrior Project (https://bit.ly/2DKhzxU). 

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Since 2004, the Long Beach Fire Department has lost 30 sworn positions and is now below 1970's staffing levels when the department responded to 5000 emergency calls, compared to 2010's 48,525 calls. The Long Beach Firefighters are especially concerned about a city proposal to cut staffing onboard firefighting units from four to three, since this will cause completely unnecessary life-threatening delays.

California law requires that there must be four firefighters on scene before a unit can deploy personnel into a fire. If a unit arrives with only three firefighters, it has to wait for back-up wasting critical time since fire doubles in size every minute. Lost time results in greater danger to those in the building, those fighting the fire, the structure itself and surrounding neighbors.

Don't take our word for it, please click on the following link to see what the experts say:

 

Four-Person Staffing Facts

 

 

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Copy/Paste this link for extended coverage of the entire memorial services for Fire Captain Dave Rosa:

http://www.longbeach.gov/memorial-service-for-captain-david-rosa/

VIEW: Long Beach mourns at funeral for slain firefighter, Capt. David Rosa

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