San Francisco Fire Department reports vaccine progress, launches City EMT wraparound training

Chief of Department Janine Nicholson told the San Francisco Fire Commission the department is supporting city vaccination efforts while continuing internal precautions as vaccine supply and rollout remain constrained. "We just don't have enough vaccine," Nicholson said, and outlined mass-vaccination sites at City College and Moscone Center and neighborhood sites in the Bayview and Fillmore.

The chief said private health systems have supplied roughly 82,000 vaccine doses to the city to date and reported that nearly 1,000 department members have received a first dose and about 400 have received a second dose; roughly 245 members have declined vaccination. Nicholson said 25 members were in quarantine during the reporting period, 24 of whom had tested positive, and that 118 members have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. "We will still ... be masking and cleaning," she said, noting the department continues to follow Department of Public Health guidance.

Nicholson also described a new City EMT (Citi EMT) wraparound program for young adults that combines EMT training with counseling, life coaching and academic support and creates a pathway into department EMS roles. She said the mayor attended orientation and "was gonna give each of them a $3,000 stipend, per month," and that funding partners include the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Human Rights Commission and the District 10 supervisor. The program is intended to produce EMT-licensed candidates and provide ambulance hours necessary for future hiring.

Deputy Chief Jose Velo described departmental support for vaccination operations, saying approximately half of a 20-member cohort have been trained as vaccinators and will begin assisting city sites. Velo said the department has trained personnel at the City College vaccination site and at other mass-vaccination locations and continues to practice vaccine-site operations.

The department said it is running an internal self-swab testing program in coordination with the Department of Public Health lab for recruits and staff, and that turnaround times have improved since the program began in November. Commissioners asked whether the department has different workplace rules for unvaccinated members; Nicholson said there are currently no separate mandatory precautions beyond existing masking and safety protocols, and that policy could change as new data or guidance emerge.

The commission requested follow-ups on vaccine counts and rollouts at future meetings. The chief said additional operational updates will be provided as vaccine supply and state guidance evolve.