TO: PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE AND FROM: Robert Sapien, Jr.
STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: December 15, 2023
_________________________________________________________________ Approved Date
____________________________________________________________________________
REPLACEMENT
SUBJECT: FIRE DEPARTMENT STAFFING, RECRUITMENT, HIRING, AND
BILINGUAL SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT
REASON FOR REPLACEMENT
The purpose of this replacement memorandum is to amend two data points regarding the staffing to population ratio in Santa Clara County on Table 5, and minimum staffing levels for the Fire Department on Table 8, that was previously submitted to the Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee on October 19, 2023.
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the annual report on Fire Department (Department) sworn personnel staffing, recruitment, and hiring activity for Fiscal Year 2022-2023 and the status of sworn bilingual services in Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
BACKGROUND
The Department’s mission is to protect lives, property, and the environment through prevention and response. The Department deploys resources to provide timely and effective all hazards response including fire, rescue, hazardous materials releases, and emergency medical services requests. The Department’s geographical service area is 208.17 square miles including 181.36 square miles within City limits and an additional 26.81 square miles of area serviced by agreement between the Santa Clara Central Fire Protection District and the City of San José. The State of California Department of Finance estimates a citywide population of 959,2561as of May 1 https://dof.ca.gov/forecasting/demographics/estimates-e1/ PSFSS COMMITTEE: 10/19/2023
ITEM: (d)1.
12/18/2023
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
2023. In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the Department responded to 109,136 incidents, 5.8% more than the prior fiscal year.
Emergency response resources are deployed out of 34 fire stations including: 5 Battalion Chiefs, 33 Engine Companies, 9 Truck Companies, 1 Urban Search and Rescue Company, 3 RescueMedic Units (formerly “Squad”), 1 Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Company, and 1 Paramedic Coordinator.
The Memorandum of Agreement between the City of San José and International Association of Firefighters, Local 2302specifies the following staffing levels:
• Each single piece Engine Company shall have a minimum of four (4) line personnel. • Each three (3) piece Engine Company shall have a minimum of six (6) line personnel. • Each Truck Company or Urban Search and Rescue vehicle shall have a minimum of four (4) line personnel.
• Each Battalion shall have a minimum of one (1) Battalion Chief or person acting in the capacity per shift.
Additionally, the Squad Program Side Letter Agreement Between the City and the International Association of Firefighters, Local 2303specifies that Rescue-Medic Units will be staffed with two (2) line personnel.
The resulting daily minimum staffing level for regularly deployed resources is 190 personnel working 24-hour shifts. To maintain the minimum staffing levels, position vacancies are backfilled by either on-duty relief personnel or off-duty personnel on an overtime basis.
Department Staffing Background
The Department reached its highest staffing levels in Fiscal Year 2007-2008 with 758 authorized sworn positions. In subsequent years, the Department proposed substantial reductions to meet budget reduction targets as impacts of the Great Recession challenged City resources. The Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Adopted Operating Budget4eliminated 75 sworn positions resulting in the closure of Fire Engine 30, Fire Engine 33, Fire Engine 34, Fire Engine 35, Truck 3, and reduced the Hazardous Incident Team (HIT 29) from four to two personnel. Fiscal Year 2011-2012 Adopted Operating Budget5action resulted in the elimination of 28 sworn positions achieved by the reduction of Truck and Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) company daily staffing from 5 to 4 and Truck Company minimum staffing was reduced from 5 to 4 in the International Association of Firefighters, Local 230 Memorandum of Agreement. In that same year, the 6 remaining positions on the HIT 29 were eliminated and hazardous materials response was transferred to Truck 29. While many Department resources have been restored, Truck 3 and 2 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/40510/637068396204500000 3 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/40520/637068396235430000 4 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/50625/637152074933900000 5 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/50645/637152094524730000
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
Engine 33 remain out of service indefinitely and Truck 29 is placed out of service when HIT 29 is committed to a hazardous materials response.
The Department has diligently explored opportunities to restore staffing levels to keep pace with the increase in emergency responses. The Fiscal Year 2014-2015 Adopted Operating Budget added 12 Fire Engineer positions and deleted 12 Firefighter positions to improve relief staffing levels. In Fiscal Year 2015-2016, 26 sworn positions were added to restore Fire Engine 30 and Fire Engine 34, which were previously eliminated in the Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Adopted Operating Budget. The 26 added positions included 11 Fire Captains, 14 Firefighter, and only 4 Fire Engineers. The 2021-2022 Adopted Operating Budget authorized 719 sworn positions, which included 14 new positions for Fire Station 37 and the elimination of an administrative Battalion Chief and Fire Captain positions (incumbents were placed in vacant frontline positions) that were replaced with non-sworn positions, and the 2022-2023 Adopted Operating Budget authorized 720 sworn positions. With the activation of Fire Station 37, the 2022-2023 Adopted Operating Budget added 14 positions including 4 Fire Captains, 4 Fire Engineers, 3 Firefighter/Paramedics, and 3 Firefighters.
As additional fire stations become operationalized, the Department will seek to realign relief staffing levels through future budget actions.
2016 Fire Department Organizational Review
The Department first presented its City Council-directed Fire Department Organizational Review to the Public Safety, Finance, and Strategic Support Committee (PSFSS) on February 18, 2016.
6 The Organizational Review, conducted by Citygate Associates, LLC, included a community risk assessment and a Standards of Response Coverage assessment that analyzed Department fire crew deployment. The Standards of Response Coverage assessment evaluated a variety of factors including response time performance, effective firefighting force (resources) assembly time, call volume, and others. The recommendations contained in the Organizational Review have since guided the Department’s Strategic Business Plan goals and objectives and recommendations to City Council. On August 10, 2018, Council voted to place the Disaster Preparedness, Public Safety, and Infrastructure Bond Measure on the November 2018 ballot. The passage of Measure T enabled the City to address some of the gaps identified in the Fire Department Organizational Review Standards of Response Coverage assessment analysis including the construction of new Fire Stations 32, 36, and 37, anticipated that 42 sworn positions will be required to staff newly deployed Fire Engines 32 and 36 and Fire Truck 32 (12 front-line and 2 relief positions per fire station).
6 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/18961/636683753806870000
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
ANALYSIS
Current Authorized Sworn Positions
The 2022-2023 Adopted Operating Budget7authorized 720 sworn positions. Authorized fulltime sworn positions by classification are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Authorized Full-Time Sworn Positions
Sworn Position (Rank) Authorized
Positions
Fire Chief 1
Assistant Fire Chief 1
Deputy Fire Chief 4
Battalion Chief 21
Fire Captain 175
Arson Investigator 4
Fire Prevention Inspector 13
Fire Engineer 234
Firefighter 267
Total 720
Six of the authorized sworn positions are senior management classifications including Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, and Deputy Fire Chiefs. Thirty sworn positions are assigned to 40-hour administrative staff roles. One Arson Investigator is on duty daily on a 24-hour schedule across three shifts. A fourth Arson Investigator position was authorized in the 2022-2023 Adopted Operating Budget to address absences or temporary vacancies for the Arson Unit. The remaining 680 authorized positions are assigned to 24-hour shift field assignments, approximately 226 per shift (A, B, C) to cover the daily 190 personnel minimum staffing level. Daily vacancies are filled by unassigned on-duty personnel (relief) or by off-duty personnel on an overtime basis.
Actual staffing levels fluctuate due to attrition and timing of Firefighter Recruit and Firefighter Lateral academies. At the end of Fiscal Year 2022-2023, (as of June 30, 2023), actual staffing (filled positions) was 652 sworn personnel.
Filled and Vacant Position Status
The Department maintains ongoing recruitment processes to keep pace with vacancies in sworn ranks that occur due to retirements, separations from employment, or added budgeted positions.
Promotions to sworn ranks below Deputy Fire Chief are filled internally, and new sworn employees are onboarded at the Firefighter Recruit level. Firefighter Recruits must hold either an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification or Paramedic licensure at the time of their hire. The Department conducts one or two 25-30-person Firefighter Recruit Academies per year. 7 https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/85356/637872546793930000
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
In Fiscal Year 2022-2023 the Department conducted one Firefighter Recruit Academy, including one Lateral Firefighter/Paramedic Academy utilizing funding appropriated at the 2021-2022 Annual Report.
From Fiscal Year 2018-2019 to Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the Department averaged 37 sworn employee separations annually. The average sworn vacancy rate over that period was 5.1%.
Actual Department separations and hiring experience for Fiscal Years 2018-2019 to 2022-2023 are provided in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Separations and Hiring Experience
(Fiscal Year 2018-2019 to Fiscal Year 2022-2023)
Fiscal Year
Retirements
(Service
and
Disability)
Other
Separations Total
Separations
Total
Hires
Actual
Staffing as
of 6/30/23
Authorized
Positions
2018-2019 21 6 27 50 690 710
2019-2020 19 6 25 22 689 711
2020-2021 27 3 30 24 681 707
2021-2022 36 15 51 47 677 719
2022-2023 38 13 51 27 652 720
Maintaining Minimum Staffing Levels
Daily absences and vacancies in field positions are backfilled with on-duty relief personnel and/or off-duty personnel who are called in on overtime to meet minimum staffing requirements.
As shown in Table 3, the total absence and vacancy rate of 26.9% in Fiscal Year 2022-2023 required 531,038 hours of backfill.
Table 3: Absence, Vacancy, and Backfill Hours
Rank Total Hours Absence
Hours
Vacancy
Hours
Hours
Requiring
Backfill
Battalion Chief 52,416 8,577 1,568 10,145
Fire Captain 474,656 96,030 23,520 119,550
Fire Engineer 678,496 144,892 74,928 219,820
Firefighter 771,680 133,251 48,272 181,523
Total 1,977,248 382,750 148,288 531,038
The Department’s relief staffing model estimates the number of relief positions needed to backfill absences and vacancies. The baseline is the lowest number of absence and vacancy hours used by the personnel in each rank in any Fiscal Year 2022-2023 pay period. Once the baseline is established based on the actual absence and vacancy data, it can then be determined, by rank, how many relief positions should be staffed. To determine baseline hours by rank, five
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
years of data by rank of absence and vacancy hours are used to smooth out potential anomalies in any given year. The Fiscal Year 2022-2023 baseline hours (lowest absence and vacancy hours that occurred in any pay period) excluding Battalion Chief positions8are as follows:
• Fire Captain = 2,883 hours (in 2018-2019 = 2,946 hours) • Fire Engineer = 6,527 hours (in 2018-2019 = 3,509 hours) • Firefighter = 5,533 hours (in 2018-2019 = 3,180 hours) Utilizing this methodology, a comparison of the vacancy and absence average baseline hours and coverage hours by relief positions is presented in the following table.
Table 4: Average Five-Year Baseline Data and Relief Personnel (Hours) (Fiscal Year 2018-2019 through Fiscal Year 2022-2023)
Rank
Average
Absence and
Vacancy Hours
Baseline
Coverage
Hours by
Relief Positions
Coverage Hours
by Relief
(shortfall)/
surplus
Relief Positions
Needed to Cover
Average Baseline
Absence and
Vacancy
Fire Captain 3,332 3,136 (196) 1.7 FTE needed
Fire Engineer 5,366 3,920 (1,446) 12.9 FTE needed
Firefighter 4,117 4,816 699 6.2 FTE available
Total 12,815 11,872 (943) 8.4 FTE needed
As reflected in Table 4, the number of relief positions for the Firefighter rank is adequate to meet the daily minimum staffing level. However, the Fire Captain position falls short by 1.7 Full-time Equivalent (FTE) (196 hours) and the Fire Engineer position falls short by roughly 12.9 FTE (1,446 hours). It is important to note that this methodology guides the Department in determining the appropriate number of budgeted relief positions to maintain; it does not serve to predict the number of hours that will need to be backfilled on an overtime basis.
In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, year-end overtime expenditures were $31,911,692, $2,356,704 of which was reimbursed by the State of California through the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for mutual aid resources provided by the Department. Total absence hours in 2022-2023 decreased by approximately 8.9% to 382,750, attributable to decreased vacation, sick, and disability leave taken by sworn personnel, partially offset by an increase in modified duty hours.
In 2022-2023, the combined absence and vacancy rates were 26.9%, requiring 531,038 hours of backfill covered by a combination of available relief staffing and overtime.
Augmented Staffing Levels/Mutual Aid
The Department continuously monitors conditions and augments staffing levels to meet periodic hazards such as high fire danger periods (e.g., Red Flag Warning), flood potential, large events (i.e., sporting events), and significant incidents. During these periods, resources that best meet 8 Battalion Chief positions are excluded from baseline analysis due to the limited number of duty positions (15 for 3 shifts).
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
the forecasted hazard are staffed by relief personnel or on an overtime basis in addition to normal daily staffing. For example, when high fire danger is predicted, the Duty Chief9 may require additional personnel to staff wildland firefighting equipment such as Type 3 and/or Type 6 Engines that have four-wheel drive capability, and/or Water Tenders.
When resources are deployed for extended mutual aid assignments throughout the State of California, similar reserve resources are staffed by relief personnel or on an overtime basis to bring local coverage to normal levels. For example, when 22 personnel are deployed to a significant incident as a Strike Team (5 Engines, 1 Strike Team Leader, 1 Strike Team Leader trainee), 5 additional reserve Engines and 2 Battalion Chiefs are placed into service with equivalent number of personnel to provide standard coverage locally, restoring the daily local staffing minimum to 190 personnel.
Santa Clara County Fire Company Staffing Levels (Fiscal Year 2022-2023) The Department cooperates with other Santa Clara County fire agencies to provide resources when and where they are most needed through local mutual aid and automatic aid agreements.
While apparatus types are standardized, each agency is unique relative to how many resources they deploy and how they are staffed.
Tables 5-8 below provides individual Santa Clara County fire agencies’ resource deployment and staffing relative to population, square miles protected, fire stations to population ratios, and fire company staffing levels. Areas protected by CalFire including state responsibility areas, City of Morgan Hill, and South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District are excluded.
Table 5: Santa Clara County Fire Agencies Staffing to Population10 Fire Agency Population
Served Sworn Personnel Staffing to Population
San José* 959,256 720 0.75 per 1,000
Santa Clara County 258,315 248 0.96 per 1,000
Sunnyvale DPS** 156,317 85 .54 per 1,000
Santa Clara 132,476 125 .94 per 1,000
Mountain View 83,601 80 .95 per 1,000
Milpitas 81,067 75 .92 per 1,000
Palo Alto 67,287 93 1.40 per 1,000
Gilroy 60,078 42 .69 per 1,000
*Excludes population within 26.81 square miles of Santa Clara County Zone 1 Contract coverage area. **Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety provides both law enforcement and fire protection. 9 Duty Chief: Any Chief Officer assigned to respond on a third and greater alarm calls and act as Incident Commander until relieved by a superior officer. Normally is one of the Deputy Fire Chiefs. 10 https://dof.ca.gov/forecasting/demographics/estimates-e1/
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
Table 6: Santa Clara County Fire Agencies Square Miles Per Fire Station Fire Agency Square Miles Fire Stations Square Miles per Fire Station
San José 235* 34 6.9
Santa Clara County 132 15 8.8
Sunnyvale DPS 24 6 4.0
City of Santa Clara 20 10 2.0
Mountain View 12 5 2.4
Milpitas 14 4 3.5
Palo Alto 52 7 7.4
Gilroy 16 4 4.0
*Includes 26.81 square miles of Santa Clara County Zone 1 Contract coverage area.
Table 7: Santa Clara County Fire Agencies Fire Stations to Population Ratio Fire Agency Population Fire Stations Fire Stations to
Population
San José 959,256* 34 28,213
Santa Clara County 258,315 15 17,221
Sunnyvale DPS* 156,317 6 26,052
Santa Clara 132,476 10 13,247
Mountain View 83,601 5 16,721
Milpitas 81,067 4 20,266
Palo Alto 67,287 7 9,612
Gilroy 60,078 4 15,019
*Excludes population within 26.81 square miles of Santa Clara County Zone 1 Contract coverage area.
Table 8: Santa Clara County Fire Agencies Fire Company Staffing Fire Agency Engine Staffing Truck Staffing Daily Staffing San José 4 4 190
Santa Clara County 3 4 66
Sunnyvale DPS 2 2 26
City of Santa Clara 3 4 36
Mountain View 3 3 21
Milpitas 3 4 21
Palo Alto 3 3 24
Gilroy 3 3 9
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
National Staffing Levels
Amongst cities nationwide with populations of 800,000 or greater, all but one provide 4 or more personnel per Engine Company. In that same group, staffing-to-population ratios range from
0.75 to 1.97 per 1,000 residents in Fiscal Year 2022-2023. San José and San Diego ranked lowest at slightly over 0.75 per 1,000 residents. Chicago and Philadelphia ranked highest at 1.97 and
1.96, respectively. NFPA 1710 5.2.3 requires that engine companies be staffed with a minimum of four on-duty personnel11. 16 of the 17 most populous U.S. cities meet this requirement. Table 9 below details the 17 most populous U.S. cities for Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
Table 9: Staffing to Population in Largest U.S. Cities (Population >800,000) Span of Control
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1561(2020 Edition): Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System and Command Safety states that “an effective span of control shall be determined by the ability of each supervisory position to monitor the activities of assigned subordinates and to communicate effectively with them.” NPFA fire officer instructional texts define span of control as “the maximum number of personnel or activities that can be effectively controlled by one individual (usually three to seven).” The Department maintains 3 to 1 span of control on Engine and Truck companies with a Fire Captain (company 11 https://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Code%20or%20topic%20fact%20sheets/NFPA_1710_Fact_Sheet.pdf City Estimated Population Sworn Personnel Staffing to Population New York, New York 8,804,194 15,225 1.73
Los Angeles, California 3,766,109 3,510 0.93
Chicago, Illinois 2,608,425 5,160 1.97
Houston, Texas 2,264,876 3,897 1.72
Phoenix, Arizona 1,651,344 1,978 1.2
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1,527,886 3,000 1.96
San Antonio, Texas 1,479,493 1,893 1.28
San Diego, California 1,368,395 1,021 0.75
Dallas, Texas 1,259,404 2,097 1.67
Austin, Texas 966,292 1,257 1.3
Jacksonville, Florida 962,970 1,784 1.85
Fort Worth, Texas 961,885 977 1.02
San Jose, California 959,256 720 0.75
Columbus, Ohio 907,865 1,638 1.8
Charlotte, North Carolina 885,663 1,104 1.25
Indianapolis, Indiana 871,449 1,270 1.46
San Francisco, California 831,703 1,564 1.88
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
officer) assigned to each deployed resource. Five Battalion Chiefs supervise 43 company officers with a span of control of 8-10 as indicated in table 10 below.
Table 10: Current Battalion Chief/Company Officer Span of Control Battalion 1 Battalion 2 Battalion 5 Battalion 10 Battalion 13 Company
Officers 8 9 8 8 10
Arson Unit Staffing
The Arson Unit is the sole law enforcement division within the Department and is staffed with 4 Arson Investigators and 1 Fire Captain (supervisor). Arson Investigators are assigned to 24-hour shifts (A, B, C) to maintain around-the-clock response availability and the Arson Fire Captain is assigned to a 40-hour work week. To strengthen 24-hour availability for investigation and prosecution of arson crimes, the 2022-2023 Adopted Operating Budget added 1 additional Arson Investigator to address absences and vacancies.
EMT Certification and Paramedic Licensure
To deliver advanced life support services on all response resources, the Department maintains 94 EMTs and 173 paramedics in the Firefighter rank. At the end of Fiscal Year 2022-2023, there were 56 Firefighter/paramedic vacancies. Firefighter Recruit EMT applicants far exceed paramedic applicants, and the Department is hearing of Firefighter/paramedic recruitment challenges across the state from other fire agencies. Presently, the Department is evaluating recruitment and internal staffing options to increase the number of available paramedics to reduce mandatory overtime assignments.
Department Status on Recruitment and Hiring
The Department engages in ongoing recruitment and training efforts to maintain authorized non-sworn and sworn staffing levels. In Fiscal Year 2022-2023 staff conducted a variety of entry-level and lateral hiring as well as, promotional recruitments that filled 80 sworn vacancies. Each classification has unique job requirements and minimum qualifications and requires a separate recruitment process. External recruitments are conducted for the entry-level Firefighter rank and internal recruitments are conducted for promotion to non-management sworn ranks. Ongoing career development and training are critical to delivering safe, efficient, and effective responses to all community risks including fire, rescue, hazardous materials releases, and emergency medical services requests. The Department provides ongoing training that assists sworn personnel in achieving their career development goals. Department staff are engaged in all sworn recruitments in coordination with the Human Resources Department.
Communication and marketing for external recruitments are supported by the Public Information Manager in the Office of the Fire Chief.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
External Sworn Recruitments (Firefighter Recruit)
Firefighter recruitments attract many applicants for a limited number of position openings. The Department establishes and maintains Firefighter Eligibility Lists at approximately two-year intervals depending on the timing of hiring and list viability. Firefighter Recruits are external recruitments with a rigorous multi-step process and a 20-week entry-level academy that prepares them for field duty. Upon successful completion of the academy, they graduate into the Firefighter classification and begin their probationary period in the Bureau of Field Operations.
The Department's minimum qualifications allow persons with little or no firefighting background to enter the service; however, qualified applicants will have obtained emergency medical technician certification or a paramedic license to meet the minimum qualifications.
Firefighter minimum qualifications at the time of application include:
• Graduation from High School or equivalent (G.E.D. or California Proficiency Certificate).
• Possession of a valid driver’s license at the time of application. Must obtain a California driver’s license, if issued by another state, prior to promotion to the Firefighter classification.
• Possession of a current and valid State of California Emergency Medical Technician Certification or Certified by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Emergency Medical Technician – Basic within one (1) year of application filing deadline (preferably at the time of application).
• Provide proof of a valid Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) within six (6) months of the application filing deadline and additionally, within one (1) year prior to date of hire. The CPAT must be renewed annually to remain valid. • At least 18 years of age at the written examination date.
The Department strives to reflect the community they serve by attracting a diverse and qualified candidate pool through extensive outreach and recruitment activities. In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, 998 applicants expressed interest in joining the Department, of which 447 were considered qualified to continue the recruitment process. It is important to note that out of the 447 qualified candidates, 45 recruits (or 10% of the total qualified candidates) reside in San José. Table 11 below illustrates the demographic data of the total qualified candidates by ethnicity.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
Table 11: Demographic Breakdown of Qualified Candidates (Ethnicity) Demographic Data Point Total
American Indian or Alaskan Native 1
American Indian, Alaska Native, and or Indigenous 6
Black or African American 28
Chinese 9
Filipino 34
Hispanic 131
Hmong 1
Indian 1
Indonesian 1
Japanese 3
Korean 2
Malaysian 1
Native Hawaiian 1
Samoan 3
Thai 2
Tongan 1
Vietnamese 6
White (Not of Hispanic Origin) 195
Decline to State 21
Grand Total 447
Recruitment Marketing and Outreach
The Department’s goal is to optimize recruitment marketing and outreach efforts within its limited resource capacity. These efforts leverage interest from employee resource groups, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, social media, webpages, and advertising platforms. In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the Department conducted enhanced recruiting efforts through the following actions:
• Participated in over 22 career fairs;
• Held the 4th Annual San José Fire Department Women’s Boot Camp; • Advertised open recruitments across multiple online platforms and through Citywide messaging, fire station banners; and
• Participated in the California Joint Apprenticeship Committee Recruitment in the Spotlight panel interview, accumulating over 1,600 views12. 12 “Recruitment in the Spotlight: San Jose Fire Department” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJaoKRVf0_g
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
San José Fire Department Women's Boot Camp
The San José Fire Department (SJFD) Women’s Boot Camp strives to increase the number of female applicants to entry-level Firefighter positions. This event was initially proposed and developed by a Department female firefighter in 2019. The boot camp is intended to engage and inspire women to pursue a highly rewarding career in the fire service. Delivered by female firefighters, the one-day boot camp introduces interested attendees to the physical and mental demands of the job and offers hands-on exercises using firefighting tools and equipment, and small group and one-on-one dialogue sessions. The Fiscal Year 2022-2023 boot camp was broadly marketed by the Department and drew 40 participants to the event on June 10, 2023.
Attendee feedback was captured to guide improvements for future boot camps. The Department is committed to providing at least one Women's Boot Camp event annually.
During the most recent Firefighter recruitment in June 2023, there were 61 female applicants. Of the total female applicant pool, 18 female candidates were considered qualified applicants.
San José Fire Explorer Post 888
The San José Fire Explorer Post 88813 maintained presence in the community during Fiscal Year 2022-2023. This program helps young adults, 16-18 years old, prepare for a career in the fire service with classroom training and hands-on lessons on the drill grounds. Participants work with the Department to learn firefighting and leadership skills, all while having fun and earning community service hours. This program provides one of many pipelines to the fire service and many of these participants matriculate to local junior colleges and EMT programs to obtain their certification, a minimum qualification to become a firefighter.
Internal Sworn Recruitments (Promotions)
The Department and Human Resources Department establish promotional eligibility lists for the six non-management ranks above Firefighter including Fire Engineer, Fire Inspector, Arson Investigator, Fire Captain, and Battalion Chief. Each classification has minimum qualifications, unique job requirements, and requires a separate recruitment process. In promotional recruitments, applicants who meet minimum qualifications for the position and successfully pass all phases of the testing process are placed on a promotion eligibility list ranked by total test scores, seniority, and other points, as applicable. Promotion eligibility lists generally expire after two years and may be extended up to a year. The City’s Municipal Code specifies how promotions from an eligibility list will be administered:
“Rank on an eligibility list determines the order of names certified as available for appointment. The ten highest are certified for one vacancy. Where there is more than one vacancy, the number certified is the number of vacancies plus ten. The appointing authority may select any eligible candidates among the certified eligible list to fill the 13 San Jose Fire Explorer Post 888. https://sjff.org/in-your-community/san-jose-fire-explorer-post-888
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
available vacancies, as there is no requirement to select certified eligibles in rank order.” (City Municipal Code Section 3.04.780.F.1)
During Fiscal Year 2022-2023, there were 44 sworn promotions which included 3 Battalion Chiefs, 5 Fire Captains, and 36 Fire Engineers.
Accredited Local Academy
The Department is recognized as a State Fire Marshal Accredited Local Academy. An Accredited Local Academy is defined as a partnership between a fire agency serving a specific authority having jurisdiction and the Office of the State Fire Marshal to deliver an approved State Fire Training curriculum within a given region. The Accredited Local Academy status enables the Department to deliver approved State Fire Training curriculum with the support of Department certified instructors, allowing internal scheduling, prioritization, and coordination.
South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Consortium (The Academy) The South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Consortium14 operates under a Joint Powers Agreement with eight community colleges and certifies training in law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical training, dispatch, and more. The Academy reaches approximately 2,700 full-time equivalent students each year including professionals from more than 70 City and County agencies. The Academy delivers entry-level fire service training and continuing education curriculum for fire service professionals. The Department works closely with the Academy to provide timely courses for career development and offers opportunities for development and recruitment. For Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the Department continued the cooperative relationship including the inclusion of two Department Firefighter Recruits in a Joint Firefighter Academy that included employees from the Palo Alto Fire Department and students from The Academy.
Advertising, Marketing, and Social Media Resources
The Department maintains a robust and user-friendly landing page that features current employment opportunities and the Electronic Interest Card via the E-Notification system. This system allows those interested in a job with the Department to sign up for notifications when jobs are open. The Department has a prominent social media presence and advertises employment opportunities and events on platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Fire Department "Vision 2023" Strategic Business Plan
The City Council approved the San José Fire Department's “Vision 2023” Strategic Business 14 South Bay Regional Public Safety Training: https://theacademy.ca.gov/
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
Plan15 (Plan) on June 7, 2016. A key focus area of the Plan, titled “Sustainable Workforce”, established goals towards “Active recruitment of a diverse workforce, on-going training for line staff, succession planning, reduced job-related injuries, improved health and safety of line staff.” These goals are:
• Actively recruit, train, and support a talented and diverse workforce. • Ensure that all personnel have the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities to excel within their role in the organization.
• Provide career development opportunities to personnel to reach their fullest professional potential.
• Provide and promote a culture of safety, health, and wellness.
Within each goal are several specified objectives. The Department remains focused on achieving the goals and objectives of the Plan.
Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Firefighter Recruit & Firefighter Lateral Recruitment Activity The Firefighter Eligibility List typically expires after two years and may be extended depending on Department needs and list viability. Demographics from the eligibility list established on September 7, 2020, are illustrated in Table 12a and 12b below. The Firefighter Recruits from Recruit Academy 22-02 which started on September 6, 2022, were promoted to the rank of Firefighter on February 4, 2023.
15 http://sanjose.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=&event_id=2139&meta_id=576586
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
Table 12a: Firefighter Recruits Eligibility List Captured Demographics Firefighter Recruit Academy 22-02
September 6, 2022 – February 3, 2023
Demographic Data Point Number Percent
California Resident 9 100.00%
Out of State Resident 0 0.00%
San Jose Resident 5 55.56%
Non- San Jose Resident 4 44.44%
Gender: Male 9 100.00%
Gender: Female 0 0.00%
Gender: Undisclosed 0 0.00%
EMT Certified 0 0.00%
Licensed Paramedic 9 100.00%
American Indian or Alaskan Native 0 0.00%
Asian/Pacific Islander 0 0.00%
Black, African American 0 0.00%
Mexican, Hispanic, Latino or Spanish Origin 1 11.11%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00%
White, Caucasian 3 33.33%
Undisclosed (Race/Ethnicity) 2 22.22%
Firefighter Recruit Academy 22-01 was completed in November 2022 with 12 graduates.
Firefighter Academy 22-02 was completed in February 2023 with 10 graduates. The Firefighter Lateral eligibility listed was established on November 8, 2022, and Lateral Academy 23-01 started on March 6, 2023, with 13 Lateral Firefighters who graduated and hit the line on May 14, 2023.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
Table 12b: Firefighter Laterals Eligibility List Captured Demographics Firefighter Lateral Academy 23-01
March 5, 2023 – May 13, 2023
Demographic Data Point Number Percent
California Resident 11 84.62%
Out of State Resident 2 15.38%
San José Resident 3 23.08%
Non-San José Resident 10 76.92%
Gender: Male 13 100.00%
Gender: Female 0 0.00%
Gender: Undisclosed 0 0.00%
EMT Certified 0 0.00%
Licensed Paramedic 13 100.00%
The 2022-2023 Adopted Operating Budget authorized 720 sworn positions. As of June 30, 2023, 652 (approximately 90%) of the 720 authorized positions were filled with 68 vacancies remaining as seen in Table 13 below.
Table 13: Authorized Full-Time Sworn Positions
Sworn Position (Rank)
Authorized
Positions
Filled
Positions
Vacant
Positions
Fire Chief 1 1 0
Assistant Fire Chief 1 1 0
Deputy Fire Chief 4 4 0
Battalion Chief 21 21 0
Fire Captain 175 157 18
Arson Investigator 4 3 1
Fire Prevention
Inspector 13 7 6
Fire Engineer 234 204 30
Firefighter 267 254 13
Total 720 652 68
Vacancy Rate: 9.44%
As previously noted, the Department seeks to actively recruit, train, and support a talented and diverse workforce. To that end, demographic data is maintained to monitor progress and guide recruitment efforts. Table 14 shown below, provides gender and race/ethnicity data across sworn ranks.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
Table 14: Sworn Personnel Demographics
Senior
Staff BC CA AI FPI FE FF
Female (24) 1 4 1 2 4 12
American Indian or Alaskan
Native (7) 3 3 1
Asian/Pacific Islander (50) 1 19 2 18 10
Black, African American (14) 1 8 1 1 3
Mexican, Hispanic, Latino, or
Spanish Origin (114) 1 5 38 1 36 33
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific
Islander (1) 1
White, Caucasian (251) 3 10 84 3 4 104 43
Undisclosed/Declined to State
(Race/Ethnicity) (215) 1 4 16 1 2 29 162
Key: BC = Battalion Chief, CA= Captain, AI= Arson Investigator, FPI= Fire Prevention Investigator, FE= Fire Engineer, FF= Firefighter Sworn Bilingual Services
The Department maintains a vision to provide bilingual capabilities in all services delivered including emergency medical services, fire suppression, fire prevention, and public education activities by staffing certified bilingual sworn employees at all fire stations on each work shift.
As of June 30, 2023, there were 154 sworn employees in the Department who spoke a second language with 23 languages recognized for certification.
Bilingual Services for Emergency Dispatch and Response
In response to community emergencies, verbal communications are most critical in the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center as incident details are gathered and prearrival instructions are provided for 9-1-1 callers while field resources are enroute. The Department’s Fire Communications dispatchers utilize language interpreter services provided by Voiance, which is contracted by the California Office of Emergency Services to assist in processing incoming 9-1-1 calls. When a non-English speaking caller is on the line, the Voiance service is accessed by the dispatcher. When the language is known, the dispatcher can connect directly to an interpreter for the most encountered languages. Otherwise, a Voiance operator assists with the identification of the language and patches the call to an available individual meeting the language required. The dispatcher then proceeds to follow protocols with the interpreter's assistance. In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the service was utilized 2,918 times, or on 2.6% of total incidents.
Sworn responders frequently encounter non-English speaking civilians in emergency situations where translation is beneficial to emergency mitigation. In these situations, responders must rely on a Fire Department responder's matching language skill or a third-party translator. In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, responders reported requiring language translation at 3,424 incidents, approximately 3.1% of the 109,136 total incidents. These instances are logged in the Department's records management system (Firehouse) where responders reported meeting the
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
language translation need 100% of the time through bilingual Fire Department responders, assistance from bystanders, bilingual Police Department responders, Language Line Solutions translation service, or other means. The Department utilizes the Language Line Solutions service in situations where field responders are unable to communicate with the public on their behalf while on scene and when there are no available civilians nearby or capable of providing translation. Field responders may access Language Line Solutions via cell phone to connect to an interpreter, who can then provide translation services for all parties in real-time. Figure 1 below displays frequently encountered language needs in which Voiance and Language Line Solutions were utilized in Fiscal Year 2022-2023.
Figure 1: Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Voiance & Language Line Translation Service Utilization The Department currently recognizes 20 languages for certification, of which 5 are noted with an asterisk in the figure above. The City of San José’s Human Resources Department provides testing and services for employees pursuing certification.
Bilingual Capabilities per Fire Station
Fire personnel may bid for positions at fire stations where vacancies exist as announced in Assignment Orders. These positions are awarded in the bidding process principally by seniority in rank except in circumstances where organizational needs supersede. Vacant positions at fire stations identified as high need for bilingual capabilities are awarded to the high seniority certified bilingual bidder. In these circumstances, this information is communicated during the bidding process via the Assignment Order announcement. The last Assignment Order was published on June 5, 2023.
58%
28%
7%
2%
2% 2% 1%
Spanish*
Vietnamese*
Mandarin*
Farsi (Persian)
Punjabi
Russian*
Tagalog*
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
The Department has a vision of providing bilingual capabilities at every fire station on every shift and encourages bilingual personnel to bid on these positions as they become available.
Based on the needs of the community, the Fire Chief may elect to assign personnel with bilingual skills to these stations. Using the bid results of Assignment Orders, the following fire stations are to be considered the priority group for bilingual assignments on the next bid.
This priority list of fire stations is not a static list and can change with each assignment order; the changes will be based on personnel movement and language need. Battalion Chiefs are encouraged to assign bilingual relief personnel into those fire stations where a language need has been identified. Table 15 below reflects the current number and assignment distribution of language-certified line personnel.
Table 15: Bilingual Capabilities per Fire Station
STATION A-SHIFT B-SHIFT C-SHIFT TOTAL
STATION
BILINGUAL
STATUS
1 Spanish (1) Spanish (2) Russian (1) 4
2 Spanish (1)
Vietnamese (1)
Spanish (1) Spanish (1) 4 High Need
3 Russian (1) Mandarin (1) 2 High Need
4 Spanish (1) Spanish (1) Spanish (1) 3 High Need
5 Spanish (2) Vietnamese (1) 3 High Need
6 Portuguese (1) Spanish (2) Spanish (1) 4
7 Spanish (2)
Vietnamese (1)
3 8 Spanish (1) Spanish (1)
Vietnamese (1)
3 9 Spanish (2) Tagalog (1)
Vietnamese (1)
4 10 Spanish (1) Vietnamese (1) 2
11 Spanish (1) 1
12 0
13 Spanish (1) Spanish (1) 2
14 Spanish (1) Russian (1) 2
15 Tagalog (1) French (1)
Spanish (1)
3 16 Vietnamese (1) Spanish (2) Spanish (4) 7 High Need 17 Spanish (1) Spanish (2) 3
18 Spanish (1) Spanish (1) 2 High Need
19 Spanish (1) Spanish (1) 2
20 Spanish (2) Spanish (4) 6
21 Spanish (1) Spanish (2)
Vietnamese (1)
Cantonese (1) 5 High Need
22 Spanish (1)
Vietnamese (1)
2 23 Spanish (1) Spanish (1)
Cantonese (1)
3 24 Spanish (1) Spanish (1) 2 High Need
25 Tagalog (1) Spanish (1) Spanish (1) 3
26 Vietnamese (2) 4 High Need
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
STATION A-SHIFT B-SHIFT C-SHIFT TOTAL
STATION
BILINGUAL
STATUS
Russian (1) Spanish (1)
27 Spanish (1) Spanish (1) 2
28 German (1)
Spanish (1)
Spanish (2) Spanish (2) 6
29 Spanish (1) 1
30 Cantonese (1)
Spanish (2)
Tagalog (1) Portuguese (2)
Portuguese (2)
Spanish (1)
7 31 Spanish (1) 1
33 Station Closed Station Closed Station Closed
34 Spanish (2) Armenian (1)
Tagalog (1)
4 High Need
35 Vietnamese (1) Spanish (1) Khmer (1) 3
37 0
*UnassignedOn the route 51Various
Languages
Total 19 21 30 51 121
Note: 51 sworn staff are on the route and are unassigned with bilingual skills The Department will continue to consider adding to the list of recognized certified languages on a case-by-case basis, dependent upon community needs. Additionally, we will evaluate the assignment distribution of bilingual relief personnel, especially relief personnel to close the gap in bilingual positions at fire stations where bilingual skills are not currently available.
The Department’s Bilingual Policy requires the assignment of a certified bilingual employee at each fire station, on each shift. With 34 fire stations and three shifts, 102 placements are required to achieve the program vision. At the end of 2022, fire station bilingual skill assignments improved from 122 to 154 assignments. Currently, 51 bilingual relief personnel are available and can be assigned to fire stations lacking bilingual skills when feasible. The Department will continue to maximize the placement of relief personnel and will continue to engage the International Association of Firefighters, Local 230 and other stakeholders to improve the distribution of bilingual skills across fire stations.
COORDINATION
This memorandum was coordinated with the City Attorney's Office, City Manager's Budget Office, and Human Resources Department.
PUBLIC SAFETY, FINANCE, AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT COMMITTEE December 15, 2023
Subject: Fire Department Staffing, Recruitment, Hiring, and Bilingual Services Annual Report – Replacement Memorandum
ROBERT SAPIEN, JR.
Fire Chief, Fire Department
For questions, please contact James A. Williams, Assistant Fire Chief at [email protected] or (408) 794-7001.