Meet the Spring Valley Volunteer Fire Department

From grass fires to medical emergencies, first responders in the Milpitas hills are most likely to be volunteers.

Day or night, about 40 volunteer firefighters, with the help of 10 individuals who do support work, rotate in shifts so they can be on the scene in the event of an emergency. And they have the same training requirements as paid firefighters.

Founded in 1978, Spring Valley Volunteer Fire Department is one of five volunteer fire departments in the county. It covers the foothills of Milpitas east of Piedmont Road and from the north boundary of Alum Rock Park to the Santa Clara and Alameda county lines.

About 220 residents live in the area. But most of the 911 patients are not residents; they are cyclists who go down, drivers who crash, and hikers who get lost.

SVVFD responds to about 60-100 calls in a year, according to Chief Mike Hacke. There were 10 calls in April and two calls in May.

From the chiefs to the rank-and-file, no one in this department gets paid. The organization relies on donations from residents and government grants, and raises money the old fashioned way—crab feeds and pancake breakfasts.

The grass fires may be small, such as one, two, or 10 acres, said Nick Ciardella, administrative chief, but "they stay that small because of local volunteer response." 

Ciardella's father, Larry, joined the volunteer fire department when Nick was 10. And when Nick was 18, he got his start with SVVFD. Today, he's a battalion chief for CalFire.

There are two groups of people who volunteer for the department, said Dianne Hall, assistant administrative chief—residents and those who are trying to get experience and move onto paid jobs.

They have regular jobs as auto mechanics, heating and air conditioning people, office workers, engineers, farmers and more, she said.

"You name it, we have it in our department," she said. "It's people who live here and want to help out their community."

Chief Mike Hacke, who works as an emergency dispatcher, began volunteering in 1979 when he boarded horses in the Milpitas foothills. They used to put out fires with wet burlap sacks, he said.

Today, the volunteer receives winter training from CalFire and helps raise money to pay for equipment and fuel, expenses that they can't make up with manpower. 

Other than public grants, "donations and fundraisers is what makes it for us," said Hacke. The county pays for workers compensation and vehicle insurance for five volunteer fire departments. 

Donations to the Spring Valley Volunteer Fire Department can be sent to P.O. Box 360211, Milpitas 95036.