Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Operations Training topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
SFFD describes Larkin Street fourth‑alarm, large drills and training sites; adopts state LRA fire‑hazard map
Summary
Deputy Chief Patrick Rabot and Chief Dean Crispin reported a fourth‑alarm fire on Larkin Street, long‑distance hose drills in Golden Gate Park, a new Treasure Island training MOU, and ongoing work on permitting and a Brycer MOU. The commission approved the state’s 2025 Local Responsibility Area fire hazard severity map.
Deputy Chief Patrick Rabot described a four‑alarm residential fire on Larkin Street during the commission’s May 14 meeting and credited rapid initial actions and the incident command structure for preventing a larger conflagration.
Rabot said Engine 41’s quick attack and clear direction by chief officers limited the fire’s spread; the building’s exposed construction while under renovation allowed fire to travel into the attic and to a neighboring exposure structure. He recognized the incident commander and key officers and noted an after‑action report prepared by Battalion Chief Claudio Rebecchio.
Rabot outlined training and preparedness work the department has recently conducted. The department staged a long‑distance hose lay in Golden Gate Park to test portable hydrants and a new 5‑inch hose system intended to deliver water across long distances in the event of major fires or earthquakes. The exercise laid roughly 3,500 feet of hose from a high‑pressure hydrant supplied by the Ashbury tank; crews recorded initial hydrant pressures of about 225 psi and terminal intake pressures around 125–130 psi at the pump intake approximately 3,500 feet away, and estimated flow at the nozzle around 1,100–1,200 gallons per minute from a single engine and deck gun during the drill.
Rabot also reported progress on training facilities and partnerships. The department finalized a memorandum of understanding to use Building 258 (the old post office) on Treasure Island for vertical ventilation and other truck‑company training; companies will use the structure in the near term before it is demolished for TIDA’s project. At SFO, the department is coordinating the relocation and rebuild of Fire Station 2; Assistant Deputy Chief Darcy has been reviewing a fiscal year MOU with the airport for 2025–26.
On permitting and compliance, Rabot said the permit center at 49 South Van Ness has extended hours and the fire marshal’s office is working with the city attorney on an MOU with Brycer (a building compliance tracking software) that will let the department identify non‑compliant buildings. Rabot said that MOU would be at no cost to the department.
Chief Dean Crispin’s department report, given earlier in the meeting, covered station visits, community partnerships and outreach. Crispin said Related Companies has offered to build a new firehouse by relocating and replacing Station 13 and Station 30 in exchange for land; the company will advance planning and hearings on the project. Crispin also raised concerns about Waymo’s newly approved Market Street operations and described coordination to avoid apparatus blockages at incidents.
The commission voted to approve the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Office of the State Fire Marshal’s updated 2025 Local Responsibility Area (LRA) fire hazard severity zones for adoption by the city, a state‑mandated action with a 120‑day adoption window. The motion passed.
