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SFFD reports steady cardiac arrest survival, APOT improvement and expanded mutual aid experience
Summary
At the Oct. 9 Fire Commission meeting the department reported a 34.78% cardiac arrest survival rate, a 4‑minute improvement in ambulance patient‑offload time, expanded mutual‑aid overhead deployments this summer and ongoing training and inspection shortfalls noted in the Bureau of Fire Prevention.
The San Francisco Fire Department told the Fire Commission on Oct. 9 that key operational and EMS metrics held steady while training and inspection workloads remain strained. Deputy Chief Simon Pang reported that the department’s cardiac arrest survival (return of spontaneous circulation at the hospital) stood at 34.78 percent for September, and that ambulance patient‑offload time improved by four minutes from the previous month.
“The cardiac arrest survival rates … we are standing very steady at a rate of, 34.78 percent survival rate,” Deputy Chief Simon Pang said while reviewing EMS performance charts. He also said Narcan administration and overdose responses are trending down and that community paramedicine programs are expanding alternative destination transport; alternative destination transports for street crisis response exceeded 25 percent in September, which staff linked to increased shelter availability.
In operations, the deputy chief for operations described a month with no greater‑alarm fires — a four‑month stretch — and 20 working fires in September. A Potrero Hill structure fire at 715 Missouri Street required complex tactics because some units of that building have been repeatedly damaged and internally altered, making interior navigation hazardous; crews reported no injuries.
The department highlighted two forms of mutual aid used this summer: sending highly experienced overhead incident management personnel to large wildfires and continued involvement with California USAR Task Force 3 (a Type‑1 urban search and rescue team). “This is for a division group supervisor … commanding hundreds of people,” the operations chief said, noting members deployed this season and that dog‑handler resources were part of a national call‑up to Florida.
Chiefs also described a program of preliminary (near‑miss) reports intended as non‑punitive learning tools to reduce repeat accidents. The operations briefing noted a shortfall in scheduled high‑rise inspections in the Bureau of Fire Prevention, and said staffing increases — including expected testing results later in the year — should help address the backlog.
Training remains a central focus. The recruit academy (referred to as the 134th class) is scheduled to graduate Nov. 15 with 49 recruits, and the department continues to develop a new training facility with input from operations and training staff. Command staff said they will report back on the experience of members deployed to national incidents and on follow‑up actions from near‑miss reports.
No formal actions were taken on operational items at the meeting; the commission’s questions centered on inspection capacity, the training facility timeline and the department’s approach to non‑punitive after‑action reports. The commission thanked staff for the reports and noted continued oversight of inspection staffing and training investments.
