City of Morgan Hill Public Safety Master Plan

South Santa Clara County Fire District (SSCCFD) The District was established June 1, 1980, as a dependent fire district within Santa Clara County. As a dependent fire protection district, the Board of Supervisors of Santa Clara County have oversight of fire department operations and approve any taxation and official actions of the District. The District also utilizes a Fire Board of Commissioners, which is composed of five area representatives and two rotating members. The Fire District Board of Commissioners are appointed by the District 1– Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and serve at their pleasure. They provide community input, oversight, and budget management regarding fire and EMS in the District. Funding is primarily from ad valorem taxes that are levied against property in the District. In addition, the District also generates fire protection mitigation fees, which are additional fees levied against new construction and are utilized solely for the funding of capital improvement projects and new equipment purchases. The District has an estimated area of 320 square miles and a permanent population of 38,500. Due to the presence of major freeway, highway, and rail lines in the area, an estimated transient population of nearly 100,000 travel through the District daily. Figure 3-2 is a map of the SSCCFD.

FIGURE 3-2: South Santa Clara County Fire District

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