The Los Angeles fires have ignited campaigns by local fire departments to push for more staffing and resources.
It’s especially a hot topic in the Bay Area where the staffing levels in the major cities are as low, or in the case of San Jose, lower than in LA.
San Jose and Oakland firefighters have already been applying public pressure to get their cities to hire more help, and the LA County fires are giving them another chance to make their case.
According to staffing numbers compiled by the San Jose Fire Department and the Bay Area News Group, in Los Angeles there is nearly one firefighter per 1,000 residents.
In San Jose, it is actually lower. Hovering between .67 to .75, while Oakland has just over one firefighter per 1,000 people.
The national average tops one-and-a-half.
The San Jose firefighters union says it’ll be pushing the city to boost their budget because they believe their staffing and benefits have fallen behind.
Local
“In comparison to San Francisco, which just went through pension reform where their firefighters are going to be able to retire two years earlier than ours, so if we’re not competitive on that market, we’re not going to be obtaining the candidates we want and staff our fire departments,” said Jerry May, San Jose Firefighters Local 230 president.
In Oakland, the firefighters union has managed to delay the closure of four fire stations until around mid-March through a public pressure campaign on FiresafeOakland.com.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
“But I have just been constantly amazed what my firefighters have been able to do with very limited resources, under incredibly challenging conditions, in firehouses that are literally crumbling around us,” said Seth Olyer, Oakland Firefighters Union president.
Both unions plan a big push toward its cities’ budget hearings.
“It’s not about us, it’s about the citizens we’re serving,” said May. “So as your public safety experts, we’re out here telling you raising a flag saying ‘hey this needs to be a focus.'"
The Oakland Fire department declined to comment.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement he is prioritizing recruitment and retention and has asked the city manager to do a full assessment of how every department and partner agencies can help.
