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SFFD warns planners that traffic-calming changes risk slowing emergency response
Summary
At a July 27 San Francisco Fire Commission meeting, Assistant Deputy Chief Ken Lombardi told commissioners that traffic-calming devices, narrowed streets and some parking reconfigurations can impede fire engines and aerials. He outlined new vehicle specs, custom turning templates and preferred fixes including daylighting and speed cushions.
Assistant Deputy Chief Ken Lombardi told the San Francisco Fire Commission on July 27 that a wave of street-design changes — from bulb-outs and traffic circles to angled parking and speed humps — is creating “operational issues” for the San Francisco Fire Department and, in some cases, requiring planners to revise designs so engines and aerial trucks can respond safely.
"We have very narrow streets that continue to get narrower," Lombardi said, citing hills, wood-frame construction, overhead wires and zero-lot-line buildings that leave little room to operate. He said SFFD vehicles with mirrors extend about 10 feet and that, when aerial jacks are deployed, some rigs require as much as 17.5 feet of workspace.
Lombardi outlined several department responses. He said SFFD worked with the Bureau of Equipment and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to create custom turning templates to replace the generic SU-30 and WB-40 templates planners had been…
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