Anyone who ever worked with Bill Kelly agreed on one thing: The longtime City of Santa Clara Fire Chief had, in the words of Santa Clara County Fire Department Chief Tony Bowden,” a huge impact on my career.” But for himself, Kelly only wanted to talk about how the people he had worked with and … Read more
“Why isn’t she a chief?” Santa Clara Fire Department (SCFD) Chief Ruben Torres said to himself while talking with SCFD Administration Division Chief Officer Jenn Panko about her career path. “She’s an amazing person. She’s dedicated 25 years of her life to the community of Santa Clara. It’s time.” In May, Panko became SCFD’s first … Read more
The Santa Clara Firefighters Foundation 2021 Firehouse 5K Run to support the Santa Clara Schools Foundation is projected to raise about $25,000 despite going virtual with 800 fewer entrants than in pre-COVID years. This year, almost 400 virtual participants raised the same amount as 1,200 runners raised in 2017 and 2018. “Although the pandemic has … Read more
Standing on the tailboard as tailboard firefighters used to be called is Santa Clara resident, Garv (8). Garv had already reached up and started to bring down one of the hoses while Fire Chief William Kelly got the nozzle ready. Here they connect the nozzle to the hose and Chief Kelly explains how it’s done … Read more
A new fire truck will be rolling through the streets of Santa Clara, one with a very special purpose. The fire department is putting the finishing touches on a new hazardous materials truck, designed to handle situations big and small. “The new apparatus has a great deal of technology built into it to deal with … Read more
As Silicon Valley woke to hazy sunrises and worsening air quality, wildfires further north scorched nearly 3,000 miles of land. More than 14,000 firefighters, including three engines from Santa Clara’s Fire Department (SCFD), provided aid to one of the largest disasters in California history. A similar 1980 wildfire in San Bernardino motivated Jack Cohen, retired … Read more
Two Santa Clara firefighters are currently in Hawaii, helping the victims of Tropical Storm Lane. They are members of Task Force 3, a team of South Bay first responders specifically trained in search and rescue operations. On Aug. 22, the team packed up 40,000 pounds of search and rescue equipment, including inflatable boats and flew … Read more
California’s fire season began early this year and hit several counties hard. Dozens of fires are still being fought by hundreds of firefighters across the state to prevent the destruction of more homes and businesses and loss of life. In this state of emergency declared by President Donald Trump, fire departments from all over California … Read more
Editor’s note: In last week’s edition we incorrectly reported that six city employee bargaining groups had agreed to concessions to their current contracts (Memorandums of Understanding, MOUs). At the time, only four unions had come to an agreement with the City, and of these only two had signed the agreements. Five of Santa Clara’s employee … Read more