Aerial view of Fire Station 8.
Beginning in June 2021, as part of a collaborative effort to improve fire protection and response services in Santa Clara County and the region, Los Altos Hills County Fire District (LAHCFD), Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District (Central Fire), and the City of Palo Alto forged an agreement to staff Fire Station 8 in Palo Alto. LAHCFD funds the cost of staffing the fire crews at Station 8.
Staffing Fire Station 8 in Palo Alto protects the areas around Foothills Park and the surrounding communities. The regional partnership is an important step in providing critical fire resources and a regional response for public safety during the high fire season.
“This just makes so much sense; it’s a critical and life-saving cooperative agreement as we struggle with climate change and wildfire in ways we couldn’t imagine just a few years ago,” said Supervisor Joe Simitian, whose District 5 includes Station 8 and its neighboring communities in the higher-risk wildland-urban interface of Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto.
During the high fire season, Fire Station 8 is staffed with a three-person engine company for at least 12 hours per day, 7 days per week, with the option to add more hours depending on fire weather conditions. Station 8 responds to areas next to the Page Mill Road corridor, from Skyline Boulevard to I-280, and is available for mutual aid. LAHCFD provides the funding for the 3-person crew while on duty at Station 8.
NBC Bay Area new story: Bay Area Fire Stations Increase Staffing Given Dangerous Weather Conditions
The Agreement was approved by the LAHCFD Board of Commissioners on May 18, 2021, by the City of Palo Alto City Council on June 1, 2021, and by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on June 8, 2021.
Learn more:
Read the LAHCFD Board of Commissioners May 18 Regular Meeting Station 8 Memorandum Report & Station 8 Agreement.
See the Press Release from Supervisor Simitian: Station 8 – Communities Pull Together to Fight Fire.
