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SFFD reports improved ambulance response, details delays at Stations 16 and 5
Summary
San Francisco Fire Department officials told the Fire Commission that ambulance response performance met departmental goals in August and outlined construction delays at Stations 16 and 5; commissioners pressed for clearer timelines and staffing, and staff provided training and recruitment updates.
The San Francisco Fire Department reported steady operational performance and several ongoing facilities and staffing challenges at the Fire Commission’s regular meeting on Sept. 12.
Chief of Department Joanne Hayes White said the department is finalizing last year’s budget and moving forward with multiple training classes this fall and winter. “We have 24 H3 level 1 EMTs with paramedic licenses that will be advancing to become H3 level two’s,” Hayes White said, and she described a Sept. 17 cross‑training start for two H2 firefighters with paramedic licenses and plans for a new H3 entry class targeted to begin Oct. 22.
Hayes White also highlighted ambulance response performance data for August, which showed the department’s first ambulance arriving on scene in roughly “9 minutes 30 seconds in the ninetieth percentile,” producing an on‑time percentage of 92.77 percent, a figure she said the department has consistently met.
Commissioners pressed for more detail on capital projects, particularly Station 16 and Station 5. Assistant Deputy Chief Tony Rivera said a revised schedule submitted to Public Works showed that design changes to the station 16 diesel fueling and containment system—driven by state regulation updates—required a redesign and resubmission. “Our latest update is November 8 for a final completion of the station,” Rivera said. He added that Station 5’s contractor has claimed about a four‑month delay; DPW has disputed that schedule and the matter is under elevated review, with DPW estimating different completion scenarios depending on that review.
On construction of new facilities, Hayes White said the Station 49 ambulance deployment facility was awarded to Amoroso Construction and that a notice to proceed is expected in early October.
The meeting included updates on the department’s recruitment and training pipeline. Hayes White described a refreshed H2 eligibility list of about 2,075 candidates and told commissioners the department will survey and vet candidates for January academy consideration. Mark Corso, on behalf of Human Resources coordination, said a draft job description for a grant writer was nearly complete and that hiring could begin late September or early October with an aim to fill the role before year end.
The department also reviewed mutual‑aid and strike‑team deployments this summer to wildfires and other incidents, and described continued investments in community outreach and emergency preparedness training.
The commission did not take final policy action on capital spending at the meeting; commissioners requested more precise timelines and cost updates on the training center and station projects at a future agenda item.
