SFFD reports steady staffing, training changes and equipment orders; ambulance facility bids due Aug. 8

The San Francisco Fire Department reported operational and administrative updates at the July 25 Fire Commission meeting, including academy scheduling, retirements, promotions, station construction timelines and equipment acquisitions.

Chief Joanne Hayes White said the department is closing fiscal year 2018 without red flags and is awaiting formal FY19 budget loading. She summarized the training plan: three academies remain budgeted through 2020 (classes 125, 126 and 127), a deferred class will start in January 2019, and a fall "bump up" academy will advance paramedics and cross-train firefighters. "We don't see any red flags," the chief said about the fiscal-year close.

Hayes White announced workforce changes tied to retirements and promotions: the department recorded about 73 retirements through June 30; leadership changes and acting appointments followed, including multiple acting battalion chiefs, captains and lieutenants and 16 conditional permanent appointments. She also said the training division will graduate 49 recruits Aug. 10 at Archbishop Riordan High School.

Deputy Chief Janine Nicholson gave an administrative update on facilities and equipment. She said the department ordered six triple-combination pumpers from Ferrara and has three aerial trucks under construction. Nicholson told commissioners the construction bids for the Ambulance Deployment Facility (ADF) are due on Aug. 8 and that Department of Public Works has pulled permits; awarding the contract and issuing a notice to proceed is likely in September or October, with the facility expected to be operational in 2020.

Station projects are on the timeline: Nicholson said final completion of Station 16 is scheduled for Nov. 7 and Station 5 for Dec. 28. She noted central shops have moved to 555 Selby Street and that the Bureau of Equipment is coordinating NERT trailer placements across the city.

Operations and incident reporting came from Chief of Operations Mark Gonzales. For June the department recorded 18 working fires (two were second alarms) and multiple notable rescues, including cliff and bay rescues and a serious vehicle extrication. Gonzales highlighted outreach and training events, including bridge-vehicle extrication drills with the Golden Gate Bridge District and expanded community CPR and "Stop the Bleed" programs.

Andy Zanoff, the EMS chief, said the department staffed up ALS engines, ambulances and supervisors for bridal- and pride-weekend events; "the system was not stressed," he said, and ambulances were available for required transports.

Administration and operations figures that commissioners discussed included a uniform staffing level of about 1,665 (excluding per-diem H8 medics), an H8 per-diem pool of roughly 75 to 78 with about 50 active H8s, and a monthly call volume cited in the report of 12,491 incidents. Commissioners asked for additional breakdowns (e.g., cliff and marine rescues by month) and the chief committed to provide more detailed statistics on request.

The commission heard several questions about training for electric vehicles and the department's new hydraulic extrication tools (Genesis) that were on display; staff noted ongoing manufacturer-provided training and that tools are designed to cut high-strength modern vehicle metals.

Next steps: the ADF bid and award timetable and the chief's staffing projections will be tracked in future commission reports. The commission also requested additional incident breakdowns and congratulated firefighters who received state awards.