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San Francisco Fire Department moves drone plan into procurement and training phase
Summary
The Fire Commission heard Dec. 11 that the department has rewritten drone specs for an open city bid to comply with a federal grant and expects training for 14 members and operational deployment in the first quarter of next year.
At its Dec. 11 meeting the San Francisco Fire Commission was briefed that the department—s planned drone program is shifting from specification to procurement and training.
Deputy Chief Mike Cochran said the department initially submitted a specific model to the city—s purchasing office but was told it could not include a brand-specific or sole-source model. "O.C.A. kicked it back and said you can't give a specific model number. You have to write your own specs," Cochran said, adding that the department has rewritten the specs and will submit them for posting.
Mark Corso, director of finance and planning, explained the constraint is a condition of the federal Homeland Security grant funding. "Due to the funding source being a federal homeland Security grant, we cannot specify a sole source for this," Corso said. He said bids from drone vendors will be straightforward commodity purchases and, if the selected vendor is already a city-compliant vendor, the city can issue a purchase order quickly.
Officials also outlined the training and operational concept. Cochran said 14 members have been preapproved to take a vendor course and FAA preparation; the training includes two days (about 16 hours) of classroom study plus homework, FAA testing, and about two days of flight practice covering daytime and nighttime operations before licensing. "First quarter of next year for sure," Cochran said when asked when the department expects drones in operation.
The department described an operational model that places a certified drone operator on duty each day — similar to how K-9 handlers are made available — and said it is considering locating the initial platform on the west side of the city to support cliff rescues and other specialized missions.
Next steps recorded at the meeting: the department will turn the rewritten, non-brand-specific specifications over to the city purchasing office (OCA) for posting; once bids are evaluated and a vendor who is a city supplier is identified, staff anticipate a relatively quick purchase and the start of training.
