CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, on the 1st day of April 1874, the modern-day City of Mountain View Fire Department (MVFD) was formed when 50 of the town’s civic-minded residents got together in a store in downtown Castro Street and organized the first Fire Brigade for the then Town of Mountain View. They called it “Mountain View Station Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1”; and
WHEREAS, today, the women and men who serve in the MVFD risk their lives daily to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents of the City of Mountain View and do it with dedication, compassion, and professionalism; and
WHEREAS, in 1917, the MVFD purchased its first motorized fire engine, a Ford Model-T, which was built in Mountain View, and still today, after 107 years of service, serves our residents during our annual holiday festivities; and
WHEREAS, during the previous 150 years, members of the MVFD have taken great pride from our humble beginnings, evolving into an all -risk Fire Department, providing Advanced Life Support Paramedic Services, firefighting, Urban Search and Rescue, Hazardous Materials mitigation, and Tactical Emergency Medical Ser vices, and will endeavor to continue delivering outstanding services into the next 150 years; and
WHEREAS, the MVFD is rated as a “Class 1” Fire Department by the Insurance Services Office, the only Fire Department in Santa Clara County with such a designation and one of the few in the State of California; and
WHEREAS, the MVFD responds to over 11,000 emergency medical service ( EMS), Fire and non -Fire-related emergencies in modern and well -equipped emergency vehicles, fire engines, aerial ladder tr uck, and Rescue and Hazmat apparatus with remarkable success in saving lives and property, and inspects thousands of buildings for fire safety and environmental protection; and
WHEREAS, the MVFD was the first Fire Department in Santa Clara County with a dedicated rescue unit in 1958, and today has a fully equipped Urban Search and Rescue unit capable of mitigating any variety of technical rescue that may occur in our City, certified by the State of California as a specialized Type I Urban Search and Rescue Company; and
WHEREAS, daily, the MVFD faces highly multi-faceted firefighting, EMS, Rescue and Hazmat challenges mitigated by one of the first Hazardous Materials Units in Santa Clara County, certified by the State of California Governor ’s Office of Emergency Services as a Type II Hazmat Team, qualified to manage and control any hazmat situation; and
WHEREAS, the City of Mountain View Firefighters are a part of the California State Mutual Aid System and have assisted California and other states in times of great distress, in some of the most devastating fires and disasters, such as the recent “Camp/Paradise Fire,” “August Complex Fire ,” mudslides in Santa Barbara , and dozens of other catastrophes; and
WHEREAS, we also remember all of the brave MVFD Firefighters who have recently , and in the past , lost their lives from job-related illness during the last century and a half; and
WHEREAS, these brave Firefighters, inspectors , and support staff should alw ays be recognized for their endless devotion in keeping Mountain View residents and visitors of our wonderful City safe;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Mountain View commemorates the
150TH ANNIVERSARY OF DEDICATED SERVICE BY MOUNTAIN VIEW FIRE DEPARTMENT MEMBERS
in helping to keep all in the City of Mountain View safe by conducting a Parade, Public Safety Education, and Recruitment Fair in downtown Mountain View on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 12:30 p.m.
Signed and sealed this 26th day of March 2024.
PATRICIA SHOWALTER, MAYOR