Costa Mesa and its firefighters have agreed to a deal that restructures the department, eliminates a minimum staffing requirement and will save the city millions of dollars, officials said.

Though the city and the association already have a contract in place through 2014, both sides have agreed to proposed changes that have been discussed since October.

The Costa Mesa City Council unanimously approved the deal on Tuesday night, voting 4-0, with Mayor Eric Bever absent. The contract is dated Aug. 31.  "It's a great agreement for both sides," said Councilman Gary Monahan. "It guarantees we're going to have a Costa Mesa Fire Department which is not going to be privatized and they're going to save us a bunch of money."

Read more at the OC Register