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Port Fire Marshal outlines waterfront risks as Mission Rock, Pier 70 and other projects proceed
Summary
Port Fire Marshal Ken Coughlin told the Fire Commission the Port of San Francisco oversees about 7.5 miles of waterfront transferred under the Burton Act and described a small port fire office working on major developments, a new fire protection engineer position, and capital needs — including more than $1 billion in deferred maintenance and seawall work.
Fire Marshal Ken Coughlin gave commissioners an overview of Port of San Francisco responsibilities and emerging risks as waterfront development accelerates.
Coughlin said the port — transferred from the state under the Burton Act — encompasses approximately 7.5 miles of waterfront and is managed in large part by pier identifiers rather than street addresses. He described a two‑person port fire office responsible for plan review, operational permits, inspections and special‑event coordination, and said the volume and complexity of projects has increased as new uses come online, from the Exploratorium and cruise terminals to the Mission Rock development and Pier 70 revitalization.
To address life‑safety needs on historic piers, Coughlin said the port and fire department secured funding for a dedicated fire protection engineer who will be hired through the fire department but paid for by the port; that position will design sprinkler and standpipe systems for piers such as Pier 31 and is intended as a multi‑year project to reduce the cost and speed design work.
Coughlin warned that much of the waterfront is in historic districts and that the port faces significant deferred‑maintenance needs. "There's over a billion dollars worth of deferred maintenance," he said, and officials are coordinating with city, state and federal partners on seawall work and other resilience projects.
Commissioners asked how the port's staffing, inspections and fire‑boat pier plans will be coordinated with broader city planning; Coughlin described the limits of port jurisdiction for floating facilities and the necessity of multiagency approvals for projects within shoreline zones.
The commission did not adopt formal actions on port items at the meeting; Coughlin said an additional port inspector will be assigned when the current inspector retires and that design work for standpipes and sprinkler systems is underway.
