San Jose residents are being asked to accept fewer firefighters, fewer emergency resources, and longer response times during emergencies. The city has about 650 sworn firefighters for nearly 1 million residents, which equals 0.75 firefighters per 1,000 residents, far below Oakland and San Francisco and near the bottom among major U.S. cities. Measure T passed in 2018 to improve fire infrastructure and staffing, but the city is now unable to staff Station 32 without proposing closures of specialized Rescue Medic units. During a May 11 structure fire, Rescue Medic 3 treated an unconscious trapped victim and had to leave fireground operations to transport the patient because no AMR ambulance arrived for 25 minutes. The ambulance system is strained, with increasing hospital delays and private equity profit-driven operations, leaving firefighters to cover gaps when the system fails.
"San Jose residents were promised stronger public safety. Instead, they are being asked to accept fewer firefighters, fewer emergency resources and longer response times during emergencies. Today, San Jose has only about 650 sworn firefighters protecting nearly 1 million residents - far below national standards for a major city. According to the San Jose Fire Department's own Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee report, San Jose staffs just 0.75 firefighters per 1,000 residents. Oakland staffs 1.07 and San Francisco staffs 1.98. Among the nation's largest cities, San Jose ranks near the bottom in firefighter staffing."
"In 2018, voters overwhelmingly passed Measure T to improve public safety infrastructure, including the construction and staffing of new fire stations. Residents kept their promise. The city has not. Now San Jose cannot even staff Station 32 without proposing the closure of critical emergency resources. City leaders are attempting to open the station by eliminating Rescue Medic 3 and Rescue Medic 26 - specialized units already filling major gaps in fire suppression and emergency medical care."
"San Jose firefighters recently witnessed exactly why this proposal is dangerous. During a working structure fire on May 11, Rescue Medic 3 helped remove and treat an unconscious victim trapped inside a burning building. Yet even 25 minutes into the incident, no AMR ambulance had arrived. Rescue Medic 3 was forced to leave fireground operations and transport the patient because no other ambulance resource was available. This is not redundancy. It is system necessity."
"The reality is that Santa Clara County's ambulance system is struggling. Hospital delays continue to increase ambulance wait times. Private equity-owned ambulance systems are designed to maximize profits, not guarantee public safety. San Jose firefighters are increasingly becoming the safety net when the system fails. Eliminating Rescue Medics to open"
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