S.F. Fire Commission hears outreach team's push to expand multilingual, community-based fire safety education

The San Francisco Fire Department told the Fire Commission on May 9 that a dedicated community outreach team has expanded public safety education across the city, with multilingual presentations, partnerships and demonstration tools aimed at preventing home and residential building fires.

Fire Marshal Dan D'Ocasio said the outreach team, formed about three years ago, complements a strengthened code-enforcement section and an administrative hearings process, and that the program was supported early on by Mayor Ed Lee and city departments. "Our team participates in roughly 15 events a month," D'Ocasio said, adding that the effort is intended to get fire-safety information directly to San Franciscans.

Inspectors Fernando Juarez and Tommy Kato described materials and activities the team uses to reach residents. The presenters said the department conducted roughly 65 presentations and reached more than 3,700 people between November 2017 and April 2018, with monthly attendance varying from about 500 to a reported high near 2,000. Topics include home escape planning, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, kitchen safety and how to use a fire extinguisher. The department also demonstrated a "bull's-eye" digital fire-extinguisher simulator for hands-on training.

The outreach unit emphasized language access and partnerships. Presenters said most translated presentations are provided in Cantonese and Spanish and that the department is working with the Office of Civic Engagement and Community Youth Centers to add Mandarin, Russian and other translation capacity. The program also partners with San Francisco City College volunteers and local nonprofits for events; the presenters noted the department staffs district safety fairs at stations roughly once a month.

Commissioners asked how outreach events are scheduled and coordinated. Jonathan Baxter, the department public information officer, said scheduling is handled by email and by coordination among the outreach team, recruitment staff and the PIO office. Baxter suggested the department now shares a calendar among co-chairs for recruitment, suppression outreach, EMS outreach and fire-prevention education to avoid duplicated visits and to strengthen multi-department participation.

Commissioners praised the outreach work and asked for continued focus on high-risk neighborhoods and senior housing. Commissioner Francie Covington pressed presenters to clarify the causes of a string of Mission District fires discussed earlier in the meeting; Fire Marshal D'Ocasio said electrical faults predominated in the Mission investigations and advised against excessive use of extension cords and portable heaters. In response to a question on hoarding, Inspector Kato advised residents to report hazards to the Bureau of Fire Prevention and provided the department's main number for assistance.

The presentation packet and the outreach PowerPoint are available on the department website and presenters said packets were provided to commissioners. The Commission did not take any formal action on the outreach presentation; the item was presented for information and oversight.