SFFD warns planners that traffic-calming changes risk slowing emergency response

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 using. The department also developed a standardized cone-test checklist (run at a realistic 10 mph) so multiple agencies reach the same conclusion about whether a proposed design works in the field.

The chief cited a recent operational problem at Dolores Park where bulb-outs and unusually high curbs (reported as 11 inches) impeded turning. "Something might look okay on paper and then all of a sudden we have a fire and it doesn't quite work too well for us," Lombardi said. He said the department has raised the issue with Planning and SFMTA and is working collaboratively on solutions.

Lombardi said the department has written tighter vehicle specifications and that bids have closed for eight new engines that will have a reduced profile (smaller bumpers, recessed handles and larger windshields) to improve sight lines at intersections.

He also flagged specific design elements that create hazards: traffic islands that remove refuge areas for people trying to get out of an engine's path, mountable versus fixed circles (mountable islands with low curbs may be acceptable), and contraflow lanes proposed on Franklin Avenue to serve Oak Street development plazas — a proposal he called "a recipe for disaster" and one SFFD opposed in meetings with planners.

On traffic-calming features, Lombardi said SFFD can accept speed cushions (which have cutouts that allow larger vehicles to pass) but not full speed humps, which force a heavy apparatus to stop and restart and slow response times. He said SFMTA has been consulting with the department and that SFFD expects to get written confirmation of the consultation process for future installs.

Commissioners pressed for the legal basis of minimum clearance dimensions; Fire Marshal Dan DeCoster said the 20-foot minimum comes from the fire code as adopted locally with amendments, and the department said it seeks 26 feet of clear width where buildings exceed 40 feet in height to accommodate aerial operations.

Why it matters: As San Francisco densifies and streets are reconfigured to prioritize pedestrians, transit and bicycles, planners and the fire department must reconcile competing safety needs. Lombardi presented collaborative technical solutions (templates, cone tests, daylighting and vehicle-spec changes) aimed at keeping emergency response viable without halting the city's street-design goals.

What comes next: Lombardi said the Oak Street developer will revise the plaza proposal and that SFFD plans to review a new submittal. The department has already begun applying its custom templates on major projects (Parkmerced, Hunters Point, Hope SF) and will continue coordinating with SFMTA and Planning.

Representative quotes from the meeting include Lombardi's warning that the contraflow idea "was just a recipe for disaster" and his description of the department's new approach: "We worked on it for over a year'...the bid has closed, and now we're under bid evaluations."