San Jose Fire Department

The San Jose Fire Department (SJFD) provides fire protection, rescue and emergency medical services to the city of San Jose, California, United States. The San Jose Fire Department protects the third largest city in California (after Los Angeles and San Diego) and the tenth largest city in the nation.[1]

San Jose Fire Department (SJFD)
"Courtesy and Service with Pride"
Operational area
Country United States
State California
County Santa Clara
City San Jose
Agency overview
EstablishedJanuary 27, 1854
Annual calls94,900
Employees750+
StaffingCareer
Fire chiefRobert Sapien Jr.
EMS levelALS
IAFF230
Facilities and equipment
Battalions5
Stations33
Engines32
Trucks9
Squads3
Rescues2
Tenders3
HAZMAT2
USAR3
Airport crash3
Wildland7 - type 6
Website
Official website
IAFF website

Coverage

The San Jose Fire Department's jurisdiction covers San Jose’s incorporated city limits and unincorporated areas of the County of Santa Clara totaling approximately 180 square miles and 1.2 million residents.[2] SJFD is the emergency service provider for a number of high-hazard occupancies, including an International Airport; a municipal airport; 7 major hospitals (including 3 trauma centers, and 7 emergency departments); the SAP Center, home of the NHL San Jose Sharks, (maximum occupancy 20,000); San Jose State University (the oldest public institution of higher education on the West Coast), student population of 31,906; three regional super malls; and over 108 high-rise structures.[3]

Call Volume

The San Jose Fire Department responded to 94,500 incidents in Fiscal Year 2017-2018. This included 3,500 fires and 7,000 rescue, HazMat, USAR and other non-fire related emergencies. The remaining 61% were medical related emergencies.[4]

Services

The San Jose Fire Department is an “all risk” department meaning that it has the trained personnel and equipment to mitigate a variety of emergencies, and provides a wide array of services throughout the city. These include:[5]

• Fire Suppression: Firefighters and fire apparatus to extinguish fires of all types, including structure fires, vehicle fires, and vegetation fires.

• Advanced Life Support (ALS): All San Jose Fire Engines and Trucks have firefighters trained to provide specialized medical care. All firefighters are Emergency Medical Technicians. Some are EMT-Paramedics, meaning they have the special training and skills to treat patients with drugs, to intubate patients who are not breathing, to gain intravenous access, to provide defibrillation to patients in cardiac arrest, and much more.

• Urban Search and Rescue (USAR): Rescue teams are prepared to handle Confined Space, Low-Angle, High-Angle, Trench, Swift-water, Open water, Flood, Collapse and a variety of other technical rescues. Several department USAR members also serve on the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, Urban Search and Rescue California Task Force 3. The San Jose Fire Department USAR team has been certified as a Type I resource, the highest level of USAR capability.

• Hazardous Materials (HazMat): A Hazardous Incident Team is trained to the HazMat Specialist level to identify hazardous materials using technical test procedures and contain, neutralize or otherwise mitigate dangerous gases, liquids or solids. The San Jose Fire Department HazMat team has been certified as a Type I resource, the highest level of HazMat capability.

• Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting: The department provides airplane crash fire suppression and rescue services by a specially equipped and trained crew based at the Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport.

• Fire Prevention: Firefighters and Fire Prevention Inspectors help ensure schools, businesses, and multi-occupancy dwellings follow fire safety codes and are safe for residents. While on emergency incidents such as medical calls, firefighters routinely check for smoke detectors and offer detectors or replace batteries.

• The Arson Unit: Responsible for investigating the origin and cause of fires. The unit is staffed by Investigators who are cross-trained as law enforcement officers with powers of arrest. Personnel in the unit are designated peace officers under California Penal Code Section 830.37(a).

• Public Education: Firefighters meet with the public to do home safety inspections, teach families about “Exit Drills in the Home,” teach fire safety techniques such as “Stop, Drop and Roll” in schools, and distribute fire or home safety literature.

• Emergency Preparedness: The Fire Department’s firefighters work with the public to encourage basic preparedness for routine or major catastrophes.

Operations

The San Jose Fire Department currently operates out of 33 fire stations located throughout the city, organized into five battalions.[6] Each battalion is commanded by a Battalion Chief.

Engines, Trucks, Squads and Battalion apparatus are staffed throughout the year. Some Wildland apparatus are not staffed during summer months. Under "Other", vans, utilities, reserve engines, air units, fire support units, rescue units, USAR trailers, and the USAR boat are unstaffed - personnel from Engines, Trucks and Squads staff those apparatus when they are needed to respond. Wildland engines are prefaced with a "6" to indicate they are Type VI engines based on the National Wildfire Coordinating Group rating criteria.

In November 2018, San Jose voters passed ballot measure T. This measure provides bond funds to support the building and repair of critical city infrastructure. Some of the projects planned for Measure T funds include construction of a new fire station in the Willow Glen neighborhood (Fire Station 37 at Lincoln Ave. and Curtner Ave.), rebuilding Fire Stations 8 and 23, and building two additional new stations. During calendar 2019, the city will adopt a new 5-year fire department infrastructure plan, which will include the timing for building and staffing those stations.

Organization

The San Jose Fire Department is organized into five bureaus of operations: the Bureau of Administrative Services (BAS), the Bureau of Field Operations (BFO), the Bureau of EMS and Training (BET), the Bureau of Support Services (BSS), and the Bureau of Fire PreventIon (BFP). Fire Communications is under BFO and is staffed by non-sworn Fire Department dispatchers. These highly-skilled dispatchers meet or exceed the criteria required for the SJFD Communications Center to be nationally accredited.[7]Battalions 1, 5 and 10 have six fire stations while Battalion 2 has 7 fire stations and Battalion 13 has 8 fire stations.

Battalion 1
Fire Station Number Address Engine Company Truck Company Squad Company Other Units
1 225 N. Market St.Engine 1Truck 1Command Van 1 & Battalion 1[8]
3 98 Martha St.Engine 3Squad 3[9]
7 800 Emory St.Engine 7[10]
8 802 E. Santa Clara St.Engine 8[11]
26 528 Tully Rd.Engine 26Squad 26 [12]
30 454 Auzerais Ave.Engine 30Truck 30MED 30[13]

Battalion 2
Fire Station Number Address Engine Company Truck Company Wildland Unit Other units
2 2949 Alum Rock Ave.Engine 2Truck 2Engine 602, Engine 302 Battalion 2, Engine 202 (Reserve)[14][15]
11 2840 The Villages Pkwy.Engine 11[16]
16 2001 S. King Rd.Engine 16Truck 16[17]
19 3292 Sierra Rd.Engine 19Engine 619[18]
21 2100 S. White Rd.Engine 21Engine 621, Water Tender 21Engine 221 (Reserve)[19]
24 3910 Silver Creek.RdEngine 24Engine 624[20]
31 3100 Ruby Ave.Engine 31Engine 631[21]

Battalion 5
Fire Station Number Address Engine Company Truck Company Squad Company Other Units
5 1380 N. 10th St.Engine 5Squad 5Battalion 5[22]
20 1433 Airport Blvd.Engine 20A, 20B (ARFF Units)Reserve Engines 20C, 20D, and Rescue 20 (ARFF)[23]
23 1771 Via Cinco de MayoEngine 23[24]
25 25 Wilson WayEngine 25[25]
29 199 Innovation Dr.Engine 29Truck 29HIT 29A, 29B, Foam 29[26]
34 1634 Las Plumas Ave.Engine 34USAR 34A, 34BUSAR-C, USAR-D, USAR-E, USAR Trailers, USAR Boat[27]

Battalion 10
Fire Station Number Address Engine Company Truck Company Other units
4 710 Leigh Ave.Engine 4Engine 204 (Reserve Unit)[28]
6 1386 Cherry Ave.Engine 6Fire Support Unit 3[29]
9 3410 Ross Ave.Engine 9Truck 9Engine 209 (Reserve Unit)[30]
10 511 S. Monroe St.Engine 10Battalion 10[31]
14 1201 San Tomas Aquino Rd.Engine 14Truck 14[32]
15 1248 S. Blaney Ave.Engine 15[33]

Battalion 13
Fire Station Number Address Engine Company Truck Company Wildland Unit Other units
12 5912 Cahalan Ave.Engine 12Engine 612[34]
13 4380 Pearl Ave.Engine 13Truck 13Battalion 13, Utility 13, Engine 213 (Reserve)[35]
17 5170 Coniston WayEngine 17Water Tender 17Reserve Engine 617[36]
18 4430 S. Monterey Rd.Engine 18Water Tender 18Air Unit 18, Squad 18[37]
22 6461 Bose Ln.Engine 22[38]
27 6027 San Ignacio WayEngine 27Engine 627[39]
28 19911 McKean Rd.Engine 28Engine 628[40]
35 135 Poughkeepsie Rd.Engine 35Truck 35Engine 335Fire Support Unit 2 and Fire Support Unit 103[41][42]

Early History

El Pueblo of San Jose (the Town of San Jose) was protected by volunteer firemen with the founding of the Pueblo in 1777. It wasn't until 1854 that these volunteer bucket brigades would transform into the official San Jose Fire Department, labeled the San Jose Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1.[43]

Originally consisting of volunteer firefighters in its infancy, the San Jose Fire Department (SJFD) was formally established by the city of San Jose on the 27th of January, 1854, with the formation of the San Jose Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1.[44][45] The San Jose Fire Department has since been in service for over 165 years and is one of the oldest fire departments in the United States.[46]

Notable Fires
  • Chinatown Fire of 1887

The suspicious fire began in the Chinese quarters of San Jose. The cause of the fire was never determined. To this day however, many believe that racial tensions and anti-oriental sentiment was fire's main cause and that it was no accident. Chinatown structures were constructed mainly of wood, and the fire devastated the entire neighborhood which burnt to the ground. Because of the 1887 fire, Chinatown never fully rebuilt itself and its absence from the city can still be seen to this day.

  • Santana Row Fire of 2002

The construction of Santana Row, an upscale shopping, housing, dining and entertainment complex, faced a major setback in 2002 when an 11-alarm fire (5-alarm within SJFD) went ablaze. The fire took several fire companies to put out, and the effort immediately became defensive as the San Jose firefighters turned their attention towards protecting surrounding homes and businesses from flying embers. The Santana Row Fire was the biggest fire in the history of the city.

  • Donner-Houghton House Fire

In the early morning of July 17, 2007, a suspicious fire consumed the historic landmark located at 156 E. St. John Street in San Jose which once housed early San Jose Mayor Sherman Houghton and his wife, Donner Party survivor Eliza Donner Houghton.[47] The San Jose Police Department was the first on the scene to evacuate squatters who took shelter in the historic house. The four-alarm fire left the historic house charred and irreparable, and the city decided to slowly demolish the building to ensure public safety and to also allow fire investigators to determine the cause of the incident. The city tried to salvage parts of the house in an effort to save as much history as possible.[48] After investigation, it was believed that the fire was started by squatters who lived in or around the vacant house. The squatters often started small fires to stay warm and to cook meals. Mattresses and chairs were found on the property, indicating their occupancy.[49] The city of San Jose faced criticism for allowing the historic house to be vacant for so long, allowing unwanted squatters to break in and seek quarters inside unsafe living conditions.

Fallen Firefighters
Firefighter Company Date of Death Cause of Death
Fireman Miles McDermott
Eureka Hose Co.
 26 September 1898 Collapsed Building
Fireman Paul Furrier
Hook & Ladder Company Number 1
 18 April 1906 Collapsed Building
Chief Richard F. Brown
---
 10 September 1910 Overturned Chief Buggy
Captain Fred W. Hambly
Chemical Company Number 1
 21 January 1921 Smoke and Gas Inhalation
Fireman Peter Consolacio
Chemical Company Number 6
 19 July 1925 Electrocution Accident
Chief Herman W. Hobson
---
 07 October 1926 Pneumonia
Captain George Welch
Engine Company Number 2
 18 September 1929 Heart Attack
Fireman Starr G. Hilton
Chemical Company Number 3
 25 November 1931 Overturned Fire Rig
Fireman Donald E. Carrera
Engine Company Number 10
 13 October 1963 Head Trauma
Fire Engineer William Anger
Engine Company Number 8
 21 February 1981 Vehicle Collision
Captain Robert Sparks
Engine Company Number 28
 17 March 1981 Heart Attack
Captain Timothy A. Strysko 31 May 2002 Cancer
Battalion Chief Michael Jonasson 4 May 2005 Cancer (Leukemia)
Firefighter Ed McClanhan Engine Company Number 26 25 May 2006 Cancer (Lung)
Firefighter Felix Medrano Engine Company Number 16 10 February 2010 Cancer
Firefighter Jack Salois 27 November 2010 Cancer
Captain Jose Martinez Engine Company Number 12 10 August 2012 Cancer
gollark: That is worrying, actually - could you launch a fake nuke to set off nuclear war without having to actually do nuclear refining stuff?
gollark: BIG GRAVITY is suppressing knowledge of antigravity, since they want to keep you DOWNWARD and WITHIN GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS.
gollark: He can't restrict Derp, then people would know he worked for BIG GRAVITY.
gollark: Yesterday I was going somewhere by train and the train was an entire 9 minutes late.
gollark: It's just a coincidence of timing, but a funny one.

References
  1. "Welcome to the San Jose Fire Department". San Jose CA. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  2. "City of San Jose Budget". San Jose CA. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  3. "Welcome to the San Jose Fire Department". San Jose CA. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  4. "City of San Jose, Adopted Operating Budget, 2018-2018".
  5. "ServicesVideo". San Jose Fire Department. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  6. "Stations". San Jose Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  7. "Bureaus". San Jose Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  8. "Station 1". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  9. "Station 3". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  10. "Station 7". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  11. "Station 8". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  12. "Station 26". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  13. "Station 30". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  14. "Station 2". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  15. "Engine 302". Manufacturer official social network. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  16. "Station 11". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  17. "Station 16". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  18. "Station 19". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  19. "Station 21". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  20. "Station 24". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  21. "Station 31". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  22. "Station 5". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  23. "Station 20". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  24. "Station 23". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  25. "Station 25". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  26. "Station 29". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  27. "Station 34". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  28. "Station 4". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  29. "Station 6". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  30. "Station 9". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  31. "Station 10". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  32. "Station 14". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  33. "Station 15". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  34. "Station 12". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  35. "Station 13". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  36. "Station 17". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  37. "Station 18". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  38. "Station 22". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  39. "Station 27". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  40. "Station 28". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  41. "Station 35". Your Fire Department. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  42. "Engine 335". Manufacturer official social network. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  43. Fire History, "Source 4", December 1, 2010
  44. San Jose Fire Museum, "Source 1", November 22, 2010
  45. Bay Area Backroads, "Source 2", November 22, 2010
  46. San Jose Fire Department, "Source 3", November 22, 2010
  47. Wikimapia Allen Apartments, "Source 5", December 2, 2010
  48. San Jose Development News, "Source 6", December 2, 2010
  49. SFGate.com, "Source 7", December 2, 2010
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