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SFFD reports strike-team deployment to Soberanes fire, budget passage and arrival of new fireboat
Summary
Acting Chief Mark Gonzales told the Fire Commission the department sent a 22-member strike team with five engines to the Soberanes Fire; San Francisco's requested budget passed the Board of Supervisors and a new fireboat has arrived and will be readied for commission in the fall. The transcript contains a garbled total cost figure for the boat; grant and city contributions were listed.
Acting Chief Mark Gonzales told the commission on July 27 that San Francisco sent a 22-member strike team made up of five engines to assist on the Soberanes Fire in Monterey County. He reported the fire was roughly 23,568 acres (about 37 square miles) and about 10 percent contained at the time of the presentation; roughly 2,000 structures were reported as threatened and 20 homes had been destroyed in initial assessments. Gonzales said a bulldozer operator died during the operation and extended the department's condolences.
Gonzales also reported that the department's fiscal request was heard by the Board of Supervisors on July 19 and passed a second reading on July 26 with no changes; the budget will now go to the mayor for final signature.
On staffing and training, the chief said the 120th recruit academy is in its sixth week with 54 members, and the 121st class is scheduled to begin later in the year. He noted active-shooter training and planned outreach for the department's 150th anniversary, including public events and a commissioning ceremony for the new fireboat.
Deputy Chief Ramona Williams and other staff showed photos of the new fireboat at Station 35 and said the outfitting process should take approximately two to three weeks. Williams said the boat was funded in part by federal grants (FEMA port security and UASI) and the city's general fund; the transcript records grant amounts of $8,400,000 and a city contribution of $3,500,000 but also contains a garbled total-cost figure that is not reliable as transcribed. The department indicated it will provide accurate financial figures in official budget documents.
Commissioners praised the mutual-aid deployment and the fireboat's arrival; several urged planning for a follow-on vessel and for presentations on pier and boathouse siting (discussion referenced Pier 26 as a potential boathouse site). The commission asked that mutual-aid policy and wildland operations receive an upcoming agenda item so the public can better understand SFFD's wildland capabilities.
Representative quote: "We sent the strike team... 22 members total were deployed," Gonzales said. "The strike team leader was assistant chief Siragusa..."
Next steps: Budget to be sent to mayor for signature; department to finalize and publish accurate capital costs and grant details for the fireboat in administrative records, and the commission will schedule follow-up presentations on mutual aid and the department strategic plan.
