San Francisco fire chiefs warn of large budget shortfall; behested-payment bill could let department solicit private apparatus donations

San Francisco Fire Department Chief Dean Crispin told the Fire Commission on April 23 that the department is negotiating with the mayor’s office after receiving new budget instructions that show a potential multi-year shortfall and that staff are seeking alternative revenue to protect staffing, apparatus and facilities. "We have been issued some new instructions that show a potential $916,000 deficit it's a $916,000,000 deficit in the next coming 2 years," Crispin said during his departmental report.

Why it matters: The department’s operating budget is largely salaries and memorandum-of-understanding (MOU) commitments, leaving limited flexibility to absorb cuts. Commissioners and department leaders said preserving staffing is central to public-safety operations; pending legislation to allow "behested payments" could let the department solicit private funds specifically for apparatus, but officials said they will not assume it will produce revenue during negotiations.

Crispin summarized recent department activities and workforce matters: recruitment and candidate screening for an academy (class 130) that will begin selection in the coming weeks with a projected start in July; an H2 academy that…