Founded: 1947
Headquarters: Los Gatos, California
Service Area: Over 128 square miles, serving approximately 226,000 residents
Jurisdiction Includes:
• Campbell
• Cupertino
• Los Altos
• Los Altos Hills
• Los Gatos
• Monte Sereno
• Saratoga
• Unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County (including parts of the foothills and rural zones)
The people I worked with were the best. Management is very out of touch with the conditions of the field and needs of the community. Very slow for fires but many medical calls. We wanted to be a wildland department but no members were ever really committed to taking that seriously. The current chief was barely a firefighter and is clearly a political figure for the department. Lots of money to spend on fancy toys but never had the opportunity to use most of them. Some of the stations were very dated when I left and have yet to be replaced.
The leadership of the Santa Clara County Fire Department has lost its way. Compassion, integrity, and true operational experience have been replaced by politics, favoritism, and self-interest. Labor laws are regularly ignored and Union presidents are manipulated with veiled threats regarding their career, benefiting management rather than the firefighters who serve the community.
The current Fire Chief has little to no operational background and often appears more focused on pleasing the Board of Supervisors than leading firefighters. Her lack of confidence is evident in endless circular discussions that do nothing to inspire confidence or progress.
The Director of Personnel Services demonstrates a troubling pattern of targeting and investigating firefighters across all ranks—creating an atmosphere of fear rather than support. He did the same thing while working for the City of San Jose. What was once a proud and respected department has become demoralized and mismanaged.
Until there is a major leadership change, I strongly advise anyone considering employment or partnership with this department to look elsewhere. Santa Clara County Fire, once a gold standard in public service, is now a one-star organization in desperate need of reform.
Rating Breakdown
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3/5
2 Reviews on “Santa Clara County Fire”
The people I worked with were the best. Management is very out of touch with the conditions of the field and needs of the community. Very slow for fires but many medical calls. We wanted to be a wildland department but no members were ever really committed to taking that seriously. The current chief was barely a firefighter and is clearly a political figure for the department. Lots of money to spend on fancy toys but never had the opportunity to use most of them. Some of the stations were very dated when I left and have yet to be replaced.
⭐ One Star — A Department in a nose dive!
The leadership of the Santa Clara County Fire Department has lost its way. Compassion, integrity, and true operational experience have been replaced by politics, favoritism, and self-interest. Labor laws are regularly ignored and Union presidents are manipulated with veiled threats regarding their career, benefiting management rather than the firefighters who serve the community.
The current Fire Chief has little to no operational background and often appears more focused on pleasing the Board of Supervisors than leading firefighters. Her lack of confidence is evident in endless circular discussions that do nothing to inspire confidence or progress.
The Director of Personnel Services demonstrates a troubling pattern of targeting and investigating firefighters across all ranks—creating an atmosphere of fear rather than support. He did the same thing while working for the City of San Jose. What was once a proud and respected department has become demoralized and mismanaged.
Until there is a major leadership change, I strongly advise anyone considering employment or partnership with this department to look elsewhere. Santa Clara County Fire, once a gold standard in public service, is now a one-star organization in desperate need of reform.