May: The dangerous reality behind San Jose’s ‘safest big city’ narrative

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.

That should concern every resident.

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 Station 32 does not improve public safety. It redistributes already strained resources while leaving frontline firefighters and residents more vulnerable during simultaneous emergencies.

Funding fire protection and emergency medical services should never be viewed as optional spending. The first responsibility of government is to protect lives, property and the environment. Public safety is not a luxury to be debated only when politically convenient.

For years, elected officials have campaigned on public safety. They stood beside firefighters after the devastating Southern California Palisades and Eaton fires. They visited stations, praised first responders and promised investment. Now comes the moment to prove those promises were real.

San Jose cannot continue branding itself as one of the safest big cities in America while operating one of the lowest-staffed metropolitan fire departments in the nation. Residents deserve honesty about the risks created by chronic understaffing, delayed ambulance responses and the continued erosion of emergency resources.

This budget cycle will reveal whether city leaders truly prioritize public safety — or simply prioritize the appearance of it.

The citizens of San Jose already voted for safer communities. Now it is time for elected officials to deliver.

Jerry May is president of San Jose Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 230.