Santa Clara County Fire Department reports steady response times, urges Alert SCC sign‑ups

Monte Sereno heard a six‑month report from the Santa Clara County Fire Department on Oct. 7 that highlighted recent staffing gains, preserved response benchmarks and expanded regional responsibilities.

"We've brought in multiple firefighters, somewhere in the range of about 20," Assistant Chief Dennis Lally told the council during the presentation, saying new hires have helped fill ranks after a district reorganization. Lally said Monteserino (Monte Sereno) call volume is tracking at about 125 incidents for the fiscal year compared with just under 140 the previous year, and that about half of calls are medical in nature.

Lally said crews are meeting local speed benchmarks: engine companies are leaving the station in roughly 90 seconds (the benchmark is two minutes) and arriving within about 6.5 minutes for roughly 90% of incidents (benchmark ~7:40). "They're doing very well for the call volume for the town," he said.

The department also reviewed public preparedness messaging and alerting tools. Presenters urged residents to "sign up for Alert SCC," noting that an evacuation warning means "fire is coming. It's time to get ready," and recommended having a prepacked 'go bag' and at least two evacuation routes. Deputy Chief Brian Glass added that the district uses geofenced push notifications via the Genesys/Genesis applications and the county's Alert SCC (Everbridge) platform for near‑real‑time alerts during incidents.

The department said it secured funding for 2025‑26 programs, expanded its fire fuels crew from eight to 12 positions and has several community education offerings planned, including a CPR class on Nov. 5 and workplace emergency preparedness on Dec. 10. Lally invited follow‑up questions and said staff would return to the council with additional details at the department's next routine check‑in.