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San Francisco fire chief: city moves to orange tier, department to help expand vaccinations and maintain staffing
Summary
Chief Janine Nicholson told the Fire Commission that San Francisco entered the orange COVID tier and the department will assist vaccination clinics and push to keep staffing levels intact amid a tough budget year; she said "we have over 40 percent of San Franciscans vaccinated at least 1 dose" and urged continued mask use.
San Francisco has moved into the state'designated orange COVID tier and the Fire Department is preparing to expand operational support for vaccinations while pressing to preserve staffing in a difficult budget year, Chief Janine Nicholson told the Fire Commission on March 24.
"We are currently, now starting today, we're in the orange tier," Chief Nicholson said, adding that the department will help staff a vaccination clinic on Treasure Island and continue outreach where rates are low. "I believe we have over 40 percent of San Franciscans vaccinated at least 1 dose right now." She asked residents to keep wearing masks as openings increase.
Nicholson outlined coordination with labor leadership and city budget offices to align priorities for the department. She said the department is advocating for EMS resources tied to the street crisis response team and for funding that can support EMS 6'the unit that responds to mental health and homelessness calls'and that recent grant awards support suppression staffing. "We want to remain whole," she said, noting the department made arguments against proposed cuts.
Mark Corso, finance planning, told commissioners the mayor's office is still shaping how federal relief funds will be allocated and that a citywide nine month financial report is due in April. "A lot of that funding is set aside to help balance the deficit currently over the next 2 years," Corso said, describing multiple channels through which the city may receive funds, including FEMA and grants.
Commissioners raised questions about union negotiations, recruit-class diversity, and staffing. Chief Nicholson said the current recruit class (the 120th) has a minority composition of 16 out of 25, or about 64 percent, but that Human Resources limits release of detailed gender or ethnicity breakdowns when groups are small.
The commission offered to assist the administration in lobbying the Board of Supervisors and mayor's office for needed funding. Commissioner Ken Cleveland said he would be "happy to help lobby the Board of Supervisors and the mayor's office to support our needs for the department." The commission did not take a separate formal action on budget items at the meeting.
The department also reported continued work on fleet replacement, training programs, mutual aid readiness and staff wellness initiatives, including mental health first aid workshops and a nutrition-education campaign led by the department's nurse practitioner.
