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San Francisco fire chief warns of fleet and station risks, shares civil grand jury report findings
Summary
Fire Chief Janine Nicholson told the Fire Commission the department is relying on a City EMT hiring pipeline but still faces significant apparatus and station capital risks; she said she will share the civil grand jury report "Building San Francisco" with commissioners and noted Public Works and City Hall were asked to respond.
At the June 26 San Francisco Fire Commission meeting, Fire Chief Janine Nicholson said the department is drawing recruits from the City EMT pipeline but remains concerned about aging apparatus and station capital needs.
"They have graduated 100 people from their classes. And we have hired 25 of them. So we are hiring 1 in 4 people from City EMT," Nicholson said, describing the pipeline as productive while noting not all EMTs complete academy training. Nicholson also said the 130th Firefighter Academy began this week with 54 recruits.
Nicholson reviewed recent departmental activity, including an H3 level I graduation and a large-scale PG&E drill on Treasure Island that simulated a 6.1 earthquake with multiple concurrent incidents. She said the department will continue to review lessons from exercises and press the mayor's office and supervisors for solutions where capital needs pose major risks.
She also discussed budget work earlier in June, saying the department held firm during budget negotiations and "they are getting about $400,000 back out of a $525,000,000 budget." Nicholson said the fleet and station issues remain among the department's most significant risks and that she will continue conversations with City Hall and supervisors.
Nicholson told commissioners she had read the civil grand jury report "Building San Francisco, Designing, Constructing, and Maintaining City Infrastructure" (June 20, 2024) and would forward it to them. She said the grand jury interviewed departmental staff, toured stations and facilities, and issued recommendations; she explained that Public Works, the mayor, and the Board of Supervisors were named as recipients expected to respond to sections of the report within the report's timeframe.
Commissioners asked whether the report is public and who must respond; Nicholson confirmed it is public and said she would provide the link to commissioners. The commission did not take formal action on the report at the meeting.
The commission approved minutes for prior meetings earlier in the session and adjourned without taking additional votes on capital projects. The department said it will continue to press for funding and follow up with more detailed briefings as work on fleet and station needs continues.
