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Public commenters raise concerns about West‑Side firefighting water plans and SFFD solar permit delays
Summary
Two public commenters urged the Fire Commission to review water‑supply plans for firefighting on the West Side and asked the department to restore faster solar and energy‑storage plan review times after contractor Luminalt reported weeks‑long delays.
During the general public comment period at the March 12 Fire Commission meeting, two callers urged action on separate items affecting fire prevention and firefighting capacity.
Eileen Volkin, speaking for herself and identified as associated with the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods, asked the commission to re‑examine a water‑supply project involving the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) she said had been transferred from the fire department in 2010. Volkin described AWOS pump Station Number 2 as "the poster child for the PUC's mismanagement" and asked the commission to review the project's contract. She raised alarm about a PUC proposal to extend AWOS service to the West Side by using potable drinking‑water pipes and warned that introducing non‑drinking water into potable lines could force a boil‑water advisory and require 1.5 to 2 days to flush lines after a fire. Volkin said she attends coastal and state agency meetings and disputed PUC statements that a dedicated AWOS for the West Side would take 10–20 years to permit.
Eric Schoonmert, director of engineering at Luminalt, a San Francisco photovoltaic and energy storage contractor, told the commission he previously praised the department for prioritizing solar and storage plan reviews with 24‑ to 48‑hour turnaround but that the review timeline has deteriorated. "We are currently experiencing significant delays with wait times of up to four weeks before plan reviews even begin," Schoonmert said, and asked the department to return to the earlier 24–48 hour review commitment. He said the delays contradict the city's code for priority permitting of solar and energy storage and increase costs for contractors and residents.
The commission did not take action on either comment during the meeting. Commissioners and staff took the public comments for the record; members asked questions of staff in subsequent agenda items about plan‑review hours at the permit center and the permit‑fee study mentioned in the chief's report.
