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SFFD credits back‑to‑back SAFER grants for planned academy expansion and staffing boost
Summary
Chief Joanne Hayes White told the Fire Commission the department received a SAFER staffing grant covering 36 firefighters for two years and plans at least two academy classes in 2017, with selections and backgrounds underway and notification targeted for mid‑November.
The San Francisco Fire Department said Sept. 14 that federal staffing grants will fund the department’s near‑term recruitment and academy schedule while the city plans for longer‑term budget absorption.
Chief of Department Joanne Hayes White told the Fire Commission the current recruit academy (the 120th class) began with 54 members and has 52 remaining; a 121st class is scheduled to begin Nov. 28 and another class is anticipated in June 2017. “We started with 54 members. We have currently in the academy 52 members,” she said.
White and Director of Finance Mark Corso described how that intake will interact with the department’s SAFER grants. Corso said prior SAFER grant funding covered 36 recruits for two years and the new award similarly funds 36 positions. “Similar along the lines with the new grant, it will cover 36,” Corso said, adding that a class of 54 can still be held with 36 positions funded by the grant and the remainder paid from other sources.
White said the department is conducting background checks and interviews and hopes to notify selectees by mid‑November. She flagged that grant‑funded members are normally absorbed into the department budget at the end of the two‑year grant period, pending the mayor’s office and five‑year staffing projections.
Commissioners pressed for details on the National Testing Network candidate roster and for broader input on the department’s strategic plan. Vice President Ken Cleveland urged more public outreach during Fire Prevention Week and broader circulation of the strategic‑plan draft so commissioners not on the subcommittee can comment before a final version is released.
The chief also highlighted related departmental initiatives, including expanded academy and training capacity to meet projected retirements in 2017–2018 and administrative planning to accommodate the grant‑funded hires into the city budget.
What happens next: Department staff said they will complete backgrounds and selections this fall, present a final strategic plan draft to the commission after the subcommittee meeting, and work with the mayor’s budget office on absorbing grant positions after the two‑year funding period.
