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Committee advances resolution to fund advanced cancer screenings for San Francisco firefighters
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Summary
The Government Audit and Oversight Committee voted 3-0 to forward a resolution that would allow city officials and the fire chief to solicit private donations to fund a six-month pilot of advanced cancer screenings for eligible San Francisco Fire Department employees.
The Government Audit and Oversight Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Sept. 4 voted to forward a resolution authorizing the mayor, the mayor’s chief of staff, chief of public safety, assistant chief of public safety, public policy advisor and the fire chief to solicit donations to support advanced cancer screening for eligible San Francisco Fire Department employees for six months from the resolution’s effective date.
The measure would allow solicitation of private and philanthropic funding to match or supplement a city pilot and to offer advanced screenings not covered by insurance. Battalion Chief Matthew Alba, who leads the department’s Division of Health, Safety and Wellness and volunteers on the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation board, told the committee that his unit’s patient navigators reported “5 new cases of active members diagnosed with cancer in the past 2 months.” He said, “I don't want another firefighter to have to wait for a medical emergency to find out they have cancer.”
The program described by Chief Dean Crispin would be a $500,000 city pilot, offered to firefighters age 40 and older with at least five years of service; built-in evaluation measures would track outcomes and create a model for potential long‑term funding. Crispin told the committee, “Cancer is a leading cause of firefighter line of duty deaths. Since the creation of the San Francisco Cancer Prevention Foundation, San Francisco Fire Department has lost more than 400 members in 20 years.” He described screening as a way to detect cancers “at treatable stages before symptoms appear.”
Sam Gebler, vice president of San Francisco Firefighters Local 798, said the union is “tired of going to funerals” and urged support for the program. Gebler said early detection not only improves outcomes for affected members but also reduces costs for the city, including replacement and workers’ compensation expenses.
Crispin and union leaders also described department operational changes aimed at reducing cancer risk, including revised decontamination procedures (including “storm sticks” on engines), mandatory SCBA training throughout incidents, and issued gear bags to keep contaminated turnout gear from exposing family members. The committee’s chair, Supervisor Jackie Fielder, moved to forward the item to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation; Vice Chair Jamie Sauter and Supervisor Steven Sherrill joined her in a 3-0 roll-call vote.
The committee clerk said items acted upon at today’s meeting are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors’ Sept. 16, 2025 agenda. The resolution notes the solicitation authority is effective for six months from the resolution’s effective date and is to proceed notwithstanding the Behested Payments ordinance’s reporting rules.
