San Jose fire department cites rising demand, achieves 64% compliance with city response standard

Deputy Chief Aaron Filer and Fire Chief Robert Sapien reported that the San Jose Fire Department responded to more than 111,000 incidents in fiscal year 2024–25, with emergency medical service calls representing over 60% of the workload.

Chief Sapien said demand increased roughly 22% over five years while the city's population declined by about 5%, resulting in sustained resource pressure. The department reported that its City Standard for priority‑one arrival (eight minutes, 80% of the time) was met at an estimated 64% citywide in FY 2024–25; an 86% unadjusted rate was reported against a county standard with allowable exemptions noted.

Staff attributed the gap primarily to travel time driven by reduced unit availability in high‑demand areas, particularly Battalion 1, which handled more than 26,000 incidents in the year. Chief Sapien and Deputy Chief Filer described mitigation efforts including CAD‑to‑CAD integration, closest‑unit dispatch, telemedicine and community paramedicine programs, and planned station development (stations 32 and 36) to improve geographic coverage.

Council members questioned whether demand tracks population and asked about recruitment and Measure T commitments to densify the station footprint; staff said EMS growth is the largest driver and pointed to an aging population and COVID‑era shifts in healthcare use as contributing factors. The committee voted to accept the operational report.