Fire Commission approves prior minutes and hears staffing risk from unvaccinated personnel

The San Francisco Fire Commission on a remote meeting approved the minutes from its Sept. 8, 2021, regular session after Commissioner Francie Covington proposed two corrections, including the spelling of Betty Ong’s name and a note about a training‑related video for SFGovTV. Covington moved the amendment and a second was recorded; the motion passed.

The commission then turned to personnel and COVID‑related staffing. Chief of Department Janine Nicholson reported that “right now we have 122 people who are not compliant,” and added that 18 of those are on long‑term leave, leaving “104 people noncompliant.” Nicholson said some members have filed for exemptions and those requests were being processed.

Nicholson outlined the timeline and consequences for holdouts: members who are not fully vaccinated by Oct. 13 (defined as two weeks after a final shot) may be separated; staff can receive a single‑dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by Sept. 30 to meet the deadline and return to work Nov. 1 if approved. Nicholson said informational meetings with human resources and union representatives were held and that any separation would include an administrative meeting with the chief before coming to the commission.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about next steps and access to vaccines. Vice President Steven Acasio and Chief Nicholson said the city was running multiple vaccine clinics to ensure availability. The discussion emphasized the department’s efforts to balance public‑safety staffing needs with compliance and labor‑agreement procedures.

The commission closed public comment and moved on to other agenda items; an adjournment motion passed at the end of the meeting.