STAR ambulances at fire stations will reduce response times

Almaden Valley Women’s Club makes $62,000 contribution for 9/11 relief

San Jose, CA ----  San José residents needing immediate life-saving emergency hospital treatment will get faster response for ambulance transport from fire department paramedics with new San José “STAR” ambulance services officially placed in service today.

At a San José fire station in Almaden Valley, Mayor Ron Gonzales joined Councilmembers Pat Dando, Dave Cortese, and John Diquisto to dedicate the first two of five new STAR ambulances.  The new apparatus will be located at San José fire stations to reduce response times for ambulance transport for patients with severe and immediate life-threatening conditions.

STAR stands for Supplemental Transport Ambulance Resource, and the new vehicles will supplement the standard ambulance services provided by American Medical Response to residents of San Jose and Santa Clara County. The new San José ambulances will enable fire department paramedics to transport critical care patients to a local hospital when an AMR ambulance is not yet on the scene. 

“Our goal is to save more lives when every second can mean the difference between life and death,” said Gonzales.  “Through our partnership with Santa Clara County and AMR, our fire department STAR ambulances will close a critical gap for emergency response in San José.”

  Currently San José Fire Department firefighters are trained as paramedics or emergency medical technicians and are able to provide on-scene advanced life support to aid patients until AMR ambulances arrive.  With STAR vehicles, the fire department will be able to provide emergency transport on the rare occasions when immediate hospital treatment is essential to save lives and when AMR is not able to reach the scene for ambulance transport.

San José expects service levels to improve, especially in parts of the city where emergency response coverage areas are larger. The fire department estimates that the city’s new vehicles will respond to approximately 30 calls per month. AMR will still be responsible for providing ambulance service in general. The San José Fire Department will operate the STAR ambulances under an agreement with Santa Clara County and AMR.

The first two STAR ambulances, located in the Almaden Valley and Evergreen districts of San Jose, are interim vehicles leased to the city by AMR. They will be replaced by new transport ambulances scheduled to be delivered this summer.

Three of the new STAR vehicles will also serve a dual purpose.  Not only will they be able to provide ambulance transport, they also will be equipped with fire fighting and rescue equipment to supplement other fire department apparatus.

Almaden Women’s Club Contributes $62,000 to September 11 Relief Efforts

At the dedication event, Mayor Gonzales and Councilmember Dando also acknowledged the presentation of a $22,000 donation to the Todd M. Beamer Foundation and $40,000 to the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund from the Almaden Valley Women’s Club. 

The contributions were made from the club’s proceeds from the annual Almaden Art and Wine Festival sponsored by the Almaden Valley Women’s Club on September 16, 2001.  Because the event was held immediately after the September 11 attacks, the club dedicated festival profits to help 9/11 disaster relief and assistance efforts.

"I have been touched by the enormous outpouring of compassion that community groups have shown for the victims of September 11,” said Councilmember Pat Dando who represents Almaden Valley. 

“These donations by Almaden Valley Women's Club show how we as a community can make a positive contribution to the victims and their families.   I am grateful to this organization for donating the proceeds from their annual Art & Wine festival event to help others."

Dando has been a member of the Almaden Valley Women's Club for over 27 years and served as the club’s president in 1979. She also helped launch the annual Art & Wine Festival 25 years ago as the club's annual event to raise money to support its philanthropic activities.

The Todd M. Beamer Foundation was established in memory of a passenger on the hijacked Flight 93. David Beamer, Todd’s father, accepted the check on behalf of the foundation. 

Randy Sekany, president of the San José Firefighters Association, accepted the club’s check on behalf of the New York firefighters.  Sekany noted that with this contribution, 9/11 firefighter relief contributions from San Jose and Silicon Valley have amounted to more than $1.5 million.

San José Fire Stations with STAR Ambulances:

·        Fire Station 4, Leigh Avenue (West San Jose and Burbank areas)

·        Fire Station 18, Monterey Road (South San Jose)

·        Fire Station 22, Bose Avenue (Almaden Valley)

·        Fire Station 29, Innovation Drive (North San Jose)

·        Fire Station 31, Ruby Road (East San Jose and Evergreen)