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Grand Jury Report Questions Santa Clara County Fire Agencies

SANTA CLARA COUNTY (KCBS) - A new report is calling for fire agencies across Santa Clara County to re-evaluate their service models and to question mandated minimum staffing levels.

The latest civil grand jury questions current responses to medical emergencies, which make up nearly 70 percent of all emergency calls.

The report found that contractually-based minimum staffing levels hinder the ability of fire chiefs to manage their departments.

"If you've got somebody and it's purely a medical situation, is it necessary to send a large fire truck out to that emergency," said jury foreperson Helen Popenhager.

KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:

The report also found that firefighter unions are more interested in job preservation than in providing the right mix of capabilities at a reasonable cost.

But San Jose Firefighters Union Local 230 President Robert Sapien said he's frustrated that the grand jury never contacted him.

"I can tell you in San Jose that we have continually changed as the fire service has changed and I'm not sure where the assertion comes from," Sapien said.

Meanwhile, a second grand jury report said that eliminating local dispatch centers and focusing on interoperability could lead to more efficient emergency responses.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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