After several hours of presentations, discussion and debate, the Garden Grove City Council voted Tuesday night to replace the Garden Grove Fire Department with a 10-year contract with the Orange County Fire Authority, effective in August.
Voting in favor were Mayor Steve Jones and Councilmembers John O’Neill, Phat Bui, Stephanie Klopfenstein and Kim Nguyen. Voting against was George Brietigam, while Thu Ha Nguyen abstained. The GGFD was established in 1926 as the Garden Grove Fire Protection District. It became the fire department when the city was incorporated in 1956. The council’s decision came after more than a year of hearings, budget analysis and lobbying by the Garden Grove Firefighters’ Association Local 2005.