Effective July 1, 2025, Santa Clara County Fire Department will extend its services to the areas previously covered by South Santa Clara County Fire District (SSCCFD). This area includes San Martin and portions of unincorporated Gilroy and Morgan Hill.
What’s Changing
Community members in the impacted area can expect the same high level of service they’ve received from the SSCCFD, only now managed and delivered by Santa Clara County Fire. Firefighters will still respond from the Treehaven and Masten fire stations. Two temporary fire stations will be used until permanent facilities are secured. One temporary fire station is located at 16075 Vineyard Blvd. in Morgan Hill, which replaces the State-owned Morgan Hill station that currently serves both San Martin and Morgan Hill. The site for a second temporary station has been identified to cover the Pacheco Pass area; this address will be shared in the near future.
Additional Changes Include
- Faster access to expanded all-risk capabilities—including Santa Clara County Fire’s Type 1 Hazmat Unit and Type 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team—with experienced firefighters capable of providing highly skilled responses to structure fires, wildfires, medical emergencies, rescues, and more.
- Emergency 9-1-1 fire and emergency medical calls will be dispatched directly by Santa Clara County 9-1-1 Communications, speeding up emergency response times by reducing call transfers to Cal FIRE communications.
- Access to robust community education programs, including wildfire preparedness workshops, CPR training, and safety education.
What Is Not Changing
- Community members will still receive around the clock emergency response—24/7, 365 days a year.
- Firefighters will continue to be highly trained, professional, and committed to the safety of the entire community, including residents, businesses, visitors, and the environment.
- There are no new local taxes or fees associated with the fire district reorganization.
- Emergency response will remain fast, coordinated, and community focused.
- The same state, regional, and local mutual aid systems remain in place to support large-scale incidents.
- Cal FIRE will continue to play an important role due to its State Responsibility Areas (SRA) spanning across the County of Santa Clara, including the watershed around the South County area.
Learn More
Additional information is available in the FAQs below and on the County of Santa Clara website.
Will this reorganization result in a reduction in fire services or the closure of any fire stations?
The reorganization will not result in a reduction of fire services. In the South Santa Clara County Fire District, fire service will still be provided from the current Treehaven and Masten fire stations. The exact location for the new northern district station is still being finalized. To ensure uninterrupted coverage, Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District (County Fire) will procure or construct temporary facilities until permanent facilities are made available. This commitment ensures service levels and response times will not suffer during or after the transition. Additionally, County Fire works closely with neighboring fire departments including Gilroy, Morgan Hill, San Jose, and CAL FIRE to maintain mutual aid agreements to help each other during emergencies. County Fire will continue to work with our partners to make sure south county community members receive a rapid response to their 9-1-1 calls, with a paramedic on every fire engine.
If County Fire’s wages are higher than CAL FIRE’s, how can South County afford the cost without raising taxes or relying on subsidies?
While County Fire does have a different compensation model than CAL FIRE (local opposed to state wages), the reorganization will streamline fire response activities and address longstanding structural challenges with maintaining an adequate level of fire protection in the South County, including addressing South County Fire District’s structural operating deficit.
As stated by County Executive James R. Williams, “Property taxes cannot be moved from one area of the county to another. That’s not allowed under AB8 or Prop 13.
As a CFAI Accredited Fire Agency, County Fire makes data informed decisions factoring capacity and risk as part of how deployment models are tailored throughout its complex diverse response service area with the goal to continually improve or enhance service delivery in the all-risk, all-hazards mission of the organization. Further, in contrast to the rising costs in the current CAL FIRE contract—which increased more than 30% in a single year—County Fire offers long-term financial stability, local accountability, and a regional model that leverages administrative overhead costs throughout the current 132 square miles of responsibility within the jurisdictions served.
Will South County lose local oversight because of this change?
No. South County Fire District reports to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, just as Santa Clara County Fire does. The Board of Supervisors will continue to provide local oversight with a focus on equitable services throughout the county. While the Board of Commissioners of the South County Fire District will no longer exist upon annexation of the District, County Fire will engage a transitional advisory group, including existing and former commissioners, to ensure a smooth and successful transition.
Why did I receive a letter about the creation of Zone 4? Will Santa Clara County Fire Department raise my taxes or impose new fees?
South County residents will not see any changes to their property taxes because of the fire district reorganization. The creation of Service Zone 4 is required for County Fire to maintain an existing development fee that helps pay for fire services in South County and to create a structure to make sure revenue from the fee is dedicated to South County. This fee, called a Fire Protection Mitigation Fee, was first put in place in 2005 by the South Santa Clara County Fire District. The fee is a one-time payment made by developers and homeowners who complete remodels or new constructions to help cover the cost of fire protection for new development in the area. Currently, the fee generates approximately $100,000 – $140,000 in revenue for the South Santa Clara County Fire District annually. The creation of Zone 4 simply allows County Fire to maintain this existing Fire Protection Mitigation Fee after the fire district reorganization.
The existing Fire Protection Mitigation Fee is reviewed every five years by the County Board of Supervisors, sitting as the South Santa Clara County Fire District Board of Directors, as part of a normal cycle of review. The next normally scheduled review of this fee is expected to happen in fall 2025, after the fire district reorganization. If there are any recommended changes to the fee, they will go through a separate public review process with the County Board of Supervisors, sitting as County Fire’s Board of Directors.
The letter about the creation of Zone 4 that was mailed in early April is required to provide notice of a public hearing scheduled as part of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors meeting at the County Government Center located at 70 W. Hedding Street, San Jose on April 22, 2025, no earlier than 10:00 a.m. The public hearing will provide an opportunity for people to share their thoughts about creating Service Zone 4.
How will this change impact fire and emergency services in my area?
9-1-1 calls from unincorporated areas of the county will continue to be answered by the Santa Clara County 9-1-1 Communications Center. When you call 9-1-1, the nearest and most appropriate emergency resources will be sent to help you. Response times are anticipated to improve in some instances, as currently, calls for fire and emergency medical incidents are received at the Santa Clara County 9-1-1 Communications Center and then must be transferred to a CAL FIRE communication center. This call transfer time will be eliminated if the reorganization moves forward, shaving seconds to minutes off call-time processing.
How will the change impact fire and emergency response times in San Martin?
9-1-1 calls from unincorporated areas of the county will continue to be answered by the Santa Clara County Communications Center. When you call 9-1-1, the nearest and most appropriate emergency resources will be sent to help you.
Will there be any changes to the services provided by the fire department?
You can expect the same high level of service with several enhancements, including faster access to expanded all-risk capabilities. For example, SCCFD operates one of only two Type 1 HazMat units in the county, as well as a Type 1 Urban Search and Rescue Team. Additionally, the department has a dedicated hand crew focused on fuel reduction and mitigation. SCCFD takes pride in leveraging local area knowledge and data to drive fire safety, education, and prevention programs.
What will CAL FIRE’s role be moving forward?
As a state resource, CAL FIRE will continue to play an important role in South County because they are responsible for State Responsibility Areas (SRA) and much of the area in Santa Clara County is SRA, including the watershed around the South County Fire District. Key to their mission is to protect state lands, not only in South County but also in other parts of the county further north in areas already protected by SCCFD. In places where both County Fire and CAL FIRE respond, they follow a dual jurisdiction model. This means both agencies work together to handle emergencies. This type of teamwork is common across the county and throughout the state.
Will I need to contact a different number for emergencies?
No. You should still call 9-1-1 for all emergencies, as it is the universal emergency number.
When will the change take effect?
The change was approved by the Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) on April 2, 2025. Next, LAFCO will hold a public hearing to receive written protests regarding the reorganization proposal on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 9:30 AM at the County Government Center, Room No. 157, 70 W. Hedding Street, San Jose. Should protests not meet the required threshold, County Fire will assume responsibility for the expanded service encompassing South County Fire District’s jurisdiction. County Fire will be operationally ready to assume coverage as early as July 1, 2025.
What is County Fire’s plan for fire services in South County?
Details on the Department’s plan to provide fire services including financial information, station locations, staffing and more is available in the District Plan for Services prepared for LAFCO of Santa Clara County
Who can I contact for more information?
If you have specific questions, you can email us at southcounty@sccfd.org.
