The San José Fire Department (SJFD) is committed to serving the community by protecting life, property, and the environment through prevention and response. We’re a full-service, all-hazard metropolitan fire department that serves the City of San José and unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County. We operate in the 13th largest city in the United States, and serve 1.2 million residents over 200 square miles.

We’re one of the busiest fire departments in the nation and respond to roughly 109,000 service calls every year. The protection area includes residential, commercial, industrial, wildland-urban interface areas, and the San Francisco Bayfront. We also protect high-traffic areas such as San José Mineta International Airport, the SAP Center, PayPal Park, San José State University, three super-regional malls, seven major hospitals, and 108 high-rise structures.

Services we provide

• Fire Suppression: Our firefighting crews use a variety of techniques and equipment to prevent, manage, and extinguish fires in buildings, vehicles, and wildlands.
  
  
• Advanced Life Support (ALS): While all of our sworn members are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), every crew has at least one dedicated EMT-Paramedic. Paramedics have the special training and skills necessary to perform advanced, life-saving medical services that extend beyond basic life support.
  
  
• Urban Search and Rescue (USAR): We operate an Urban Search and Rescue Company that is staffed and equipped to handle technical rescue operations, such as confined space, low-angle, high-angle, trench, swift water, open water, flood, and structural collapse. Both USAR 34A and 34B are "Type 1 Cal OES" certified, meaning they can respond to emergencies anywhere within the state of California upon request.
  
  
• Hazardous Materials Response (HazMat) : Our Hazardous Incident Team is specially trained to identify, contain, neutralize, or otherwise mitigate hazardous solids, liquids, and gases. Our HazMat apparatus, HIT29, is also "Type 1 Cal OES" certified.
  
  
• Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF): We provide for the emergency response, mitigation, evacuation, and rescue of passengers and crews involved in aviation incidents citywide. Furthermore, we have a dedicated fire station at San José Mineta International Airport. Fire Station 20 is staffed and equipped to handle all types of incidents that could occur within a busy international airport.
  
  
• Fire Prevention: Our team works together to help prevent fires and hazardous materials incidents through education and awareness, comprehensive construction plan review, construction inspections, fire safety and hazardous material inspections, and hazardous materials regulation.
  
  
• Arson Investigation: Our Arson Unit is responsible for investigating the cause of fires and ensuring the responsible party is held accountable. These arson investigators are cross trained as firefighters and law enforcement officers.
  
  
• Mutual Aid: The SJFD has automatic aid agreements with neighboring jurisdictions, meaning local fire agencies will automatically help each other based on incident location, incident size, and available resources. The SJFD is also part of the Santa Clara County Mutual Aid Agreement, where participating agencies can request assistance from one another. Lastly, the SJFD also participates in the California Master Mutual Aid Agreement and can provide mutual aid to other jurisdictions in California upon request.
  
  
• Public Education: Led by the Public Information team, the SJFD values interaction with the local community. On-duty crews attend schools, events, parades and more to inform, educate, and excite residents about fire safety. The Shark Engine, a retired fire engine painted to look like a shark, is another beloved vehicle the department uses in community engagement opportunities.

Organization

The San José Fire Department is organized into seven bureaus and divisions that report to Fire Chief Robert Sapien, Jr. Under the Fire Chief and Assistant Fire Chief are four Deputy Fire Chiefs and a civilian Deputy Director. The SJFD currently employs ~650 sworn personnel and ~110 civilian personnel. In fiscal year 2022-23, the SJFD had an operating budget of $308 million.

• Bureau of Field Operations (BFO): The Bureau of Field Operations directly provides fire suppression, emergency medical services, fire prevention, and public education services to our community. It's made up of 34 fire stations that are organized into six battalions. Each battalion is commanded by a battalion chief. Line personnel provide 24-hour service and operate across three rotating shifts: A shift, B shift, and C shift. Crews operate on a 48/96 schedule, meaning they work 48 consecutive hours followed by 96 consecutive hours off.
  
  
• Bureau of Administrative Services (BAS): The Bureau of Administrative Services is responsible for the SJFD's backend operations: budgeting, accounting, employee services, human relations, information technology, geographic information systems, and public records requests. It's comprised of several teams: Budget and Fiscal Management, Employee Services, Fire Information Technology, Applications, and Geographic Information Systems.
  
  
• Fire Communications: The San José Fire Department’s Fire Communications division is staffed by non-sworn dispatchers and is responsible for answering emergency and non-emergency calls, dispatching units, and managing outgoing resources. In San José, Police Communications is the primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and transfers all fire and medical emergency calls to Fire Communications, the secondary PSAP. This division operates 24/7, 365 days a year across three shifts: Day shift (0630-1430), Swing shift (1430-2230), and Midnight shift (2230-0630).
  
  
• Bureau of Fire Prevention (BFP): The Bureau of Fire Prevention provides regulatory enforcement of fire and hazardous materials codes; investigates suspicious fires; reviews construction plans for architectural, sprinkler, alarm, and hazardous material systems; inspects construction projects; and conducts fire safety and hazardous materials inspections.
  
  
• Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Training (BET): The Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Training is made up of two divisions. The Training Division manages performance reporting, professional development, quarterly skills assessment, credential tracking, and recruit academies. They also manage probationary firefighters, fire engineers, and fire captains. The Emergency Medical Services Division provides continuous EMS education, quality assurance, maintains certificates, purchases medical equipment, maintaining relationships with EMS stakeholders, protecting SJFD employees through infection control, and administering annual influenza vaccination.
  
  
• Bureau of Support Services (BSS): The Bureau of Support Services has three primary functions: track and maintain firefighting equipment such as protective gear and tools; purchase, manage, and repair apparatus; and manage both established facilities and capital improvement projects.
  
  
• Office of the Fire Chief (OFC): The Office of the Fire Chief is led by Fire Chief Robert Sapien, Jr. He is is responsible for developing and facilitating SJFD's strategic vision, establishing departmental processes, setting policies and procedures, facilitating planning, setting goals and objectives, and maintaining relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders. The Office of the Fire Chief is supported by staff who oversee SJFD's safety and wellness programs, handle media inquiries, create public education opportunities, and process workers comp claims.