Fire Marshal Dan DeCasio briefed the San Francisco Fire Commission on Aug. 14 about the Division of Fire Prevention and Investigation's expanded workload, new enforcement units and pending fire‑code changes.

DeCasio said the division completed 26,000 inspections in the last fiscal year — “a 50% increase over the last 10 years” — and processed about 13,000 construction permits, “an increase of a 100% over the last 10 years.” He described the division as roughly 100 members, organized into two bureaus (Fire Investigation and Fire Prevention) and a series of specialized sections handling plan check, field district inspections, operational permits, high‑rise inspections, school inspections, residential care facilities, the Port and SFO work.

The fire complaint section is new, DeCasio said, with four inspectors and a lieutenant assigned as an accelerated code enforcement team; the unit receives “anywhere from 400 to 500 complaints a month” and issues about “100 to 150 violations a month.” He said complaints that are not abated are forwarded to the administrative hearing process overseen by Captain Ken Coughlin.

Why it matters: the department is seeing large increases in construction and inspection workload while expanding enforcement capacity and moving to electronic systems that aim to shorten permit timelines and reduce duplicative review across city departments.

DeCasio outlined several current initiatives. The division is piloting electronic plan review starting with accessory dwelling unit (ADU) applications and expects a multi‑year rollout to citywide paperless review. Staff will be co‑located at the new consolidated permit center at 49 South Van Ness next June to streamline construction and operational permit coordination, he said. The division is also preparing administrative bulletins and technical changes that will be folded into the local amendments to the 2019 California Fire Code; DeCasio said those amendments will form the San Francisco Fire Code effective Jan. 1, 2020, and will go to the city attorney and then to the commission before coming to the Board of Supervisors.

Commissioners pressed several operational and policy details during the Q&A. Vice President Francie Covington asked about rooftop open‑space and allowed uses; DeCasio said the current code does not explicitly define whether a building roof used as shared open space should be treated as an R‑2 residential accessory space or as a place of assembly, which carries different occupant‑load and life‑safety requirements. He said the department is coordinating with the Building Department and the state fire marshal on interpretations and expects to publish guidance or an administrative bulletin to clarify occupant load, railing and cooking restrictions and enforcement. “We will need to do that in conjunction with the Building Department,” he said.

Commissioners also discussed span of control and leadership positions. DeCasio said the division has increased section chiefs over two decades and is pursuing additional chief‑level positions to improve oversight and responsiveness.

Other items noted in the presentation: community outreach and training programs (including plan‑review training developed by a fire protection engineer), a special housing team that prioritizes 100% affordable housing, ADUs, RAD and homeless‑shelter projects and a TASK representative who reviews street‑calming proposals with an eye to preserving fire access.

DeCasio credited recent reductions in an investigation backlog (down from 407 to 53 reports) to management and training changes and emphasized website enhancements, including public access to fire inspection records by address.

The commission did not take formal action on the presentation; DeCasio said recommended code amendments and accompanying administrative bulletins will be returned for commission review and a subsequent vote.

Looking ahead: DeCasio said the final draft of the code amendments will be shared with the chief and the commission before referral to the city attorney and the supervisors. The department also plans to evaluate and report back once the electronic plan‑review pilot expands beyond ADUs.