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Current and former SFFD personnel urge administration to address Station 2 allegations
Summary
Several current and former San Francisco firefighters told the Fire Commission that allegations connected to Station 2 remain uninvestigated and urged the department to address management practices; other speakers defended department culture and asked commissioners to consider reputational impacts.
During public comment at the Oct. 12 Fire Commission meeting several current and former members of the San Francisco Fire Department spoke about allegations tied to Station 2 and about department culture generally.
Catherine Alba Swanson, introduced herself as a 17-year San Francisco firefighter, told the commission "there are additional allegations regarding the Station 2 situation that haven't been addressed or investigated" and requested that the administration "address the elephant in the room and the management practices, which are the bigger picture." Swanson said she has worked in dangerous situations with the accused and said she had not personally felt harassed or threatened.
Lieutenant Julie Desjarlais, who said she has been with the department for about 14 years, told commissioners she has worked at Station 2 and "there's never been a problem," and that female firefighters "want to be considered just like everybody else, a strong firefighter." Desjarlais said she is "offended by what's going on" in media coverage and described the Station 2 matter as "an incident that is not universal."
Adrienne Sims, who identified herself later in her comments, said she has worked at Station 2 off and on for 12 years as an incident-scene specialist and urged the commission to defend members from "distorted accounts and inaccurate information" that she said harm departmental bonds and traditions.
Commissioners did not debate with speakers during the public-comment period; President Francie Covington later acknowledged the public comments and the commission subsequently noted concern about the recent allegations during agenda-setting for the Oct. 26 meeting. Commissioner Michael Hardiman requested that the harassment policy be placed on the Oct. 26 agenda for an in-depth review "in light of the recent allegations." The chair and vice president agreed to confer with the chief of department and bring back items for the next agenda.
No formal findings or votes about the Station 2 allegations were taken at the meeting; the remarks were recorded during public comment. The commission separately reported it had engaged with the civil grand jury process and that many grand jury recommendations were implemented or in progress.
