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SFFD reports ambulance theft and two second‑alarm fires; investigations and after‑action steps planned
Summary
Deputy Chief Mark Gonzales reported an ambulance was stolen after a medical call and later crashed on Treasure Island; two separate second‑alarm fires occurred in May with civilian displacements and minor injuries. The department is investigating and reviewing ambulance security protocols.
Deputy Chief of Operations Mark Gonzales told the Fire Commission the department is investigating the theft of an ambulance that occurred after its crew left a patient at 55 Mason Street. "When they went to the patient, when they came out with the patient, the ambulance was gone," Gonzales said. Police located the vehicle; it later crashed on Treasure Island and caused a fire. The department and police are jointly investigating the incident and reviewing protocols for securing apparatus.
Gonzales also summarized two second‑alarm fires in May. A May incident on Fifth Avenue produced two civilian injuries, one firefighter injury and a canine fatality; Red Cross assisted 13 adults and two children who were displaced. Another second‑alarm fire at 610 Webster involved a four-story, 17‑unit building; there were no injuries and Red Cross assisted six displaced residents. Gonzales credited aggressive interior attack and coordinated operations for limiting spread.
Commissioners asked about vehicle security, motivation behind the theft and insurance coverage. Gonzales said protocols vary by vehicle age and type; city self‑insurance applies. The stolen ambulance was an older model: Gonzales estimated original cost at approximately $225,000 and described the vehicle as a total loss.
Gonzales also reported other May operations and rescue examples — a technical rescue under a BART train, surf‑rescue operations, and improved PIO coordination for alerts and social-media messaging — and summarized bureau statistics for permits, open complaints and fire-investigation caseloads.
