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SFFD reports COVID staffing impacts and outlines $2 million critical response pilot amid deep citywide shortfall
Summary
Fire Chief Janine Nicholson told the San Francisco Fire Commission that the department had 15 COVID-positive members (5 quarantined, 2 hospitalized) and highlighted a proposed $2 million mayoral allocation for a behavioral health street crisis response pilot while outlining concerns as the city faces a two-year ~$1.6 billion budget deficit.
San Francisco Fire Chief Janine Nicholson reported to the Fire Commission on Aug. 12 that 15 members of the department have tested positive for COVID-19, five were in quarantine as possible exposures and two had been hospitalized and released. Nicholson said the department has largely avoided widespread staff shortages but emphasized continued precautions and testing.
Nicholson detailed efforts to support members and operations during the pandemic: interim chaplaincy coverage, continued station visits with COVID-safe practices, and participation in a UCSF antibody study that tested roughly 1,400 members and found three positive antibody results among participants. She said the low antibody rate showed the department's protocols were effective but that the city remains far from herd immunity.
On funding, Nicholson flagged a mayoral allocation of $2,000,000 per fiscal year for a behavioral health critical response team modeled on EMS 6. The pilot would pair a Department of Public Health advanced practice clinician and a peer support specialist with fire or EMS staff to respond to behavioral health crises on the street, she said, and added that the department will present on the program at upcoming Board of Supervisors budget hearings.
The briefing came as Mark Corso, the department's deputy director of finance and planning, described a citywide two-year budget gap of about $1.6 billion driven by the pandemic. Corso told commissioners the mayor and the administration are filling part of the shortfall with reserves and one-time measures but warned that departments were asked to identify roughly 10% reductions in year one with deeper cuts in the second year. He said the department worked to shield frontline operations but had reduced capital projects, delayed some equipment purchases and postponed a firefighter academy to meet targets.
Commissioners pressed Nicholson on where infected members had been assigned; she said cases included both EMS-assigned staff and line firefighters. Several commissioners raised equity concerns tied to hiring and testing practices; Nicholson said the department is reviewing alternatives to the National Testing Network to improve local recruitment pathways.
The commission did not take formal action on the allocation; Corso said the detailed recommendations and any add-back requests will be considered at Board of Supervisors hearings scheduled in mid-to-late August. The department expects further updates as the Board considers the mayor's balanced budget and potential add-backs.
