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Firefighters, unions urge commission to restore paramedic supervision and reopen RC4 at Station 49
Summary
Rank‑and‑file firefighters and union leaders pressed the Fire Commission to restore Rescue Company 4 (RC4) supervision and place the paramedic supervisor issue on the next agenda, saying positions are authorized, funded and needed now to protect southern neighborhoods.
Dozens of firefighters, EMTs and union representatives told the Fire Commission on May 11 that the department should immediately restore paramedic supervision in the city's southern sector and reopen Rescue Company 4 (RC4).
Lisa Phyllis, a paramedic captain with the San Francisco Fire Department, told commissioners that Bayview and Hunters Point — neighborhoods she called among the city's most vulnerable — are suffering from a lack of on‑scene supervision. "Please, we need our C 4 back in the field," she said, arguing the department currently has funding to add supervisory coverage during peak periods.
Tom O'Connor, president of the San Francisco Firefighters, repeated the claim that the jobs and supervisory posts at issue are budgeted and authorized and asked the commission to compel the department to staff them. "These jobs are authorized, these jobs are funded, these jobs are budgeted for," O'Connor said, urging the commission to act to relieve overworked rescue captains at Station 49.
Dan Casey, a firefighter‑paramedic and member of Local 7‑98's board, described how long travel distances and shifting assignments inflate a supervisor's span of control and reduce on‑scene effectiveness. Mike Cooley, president of the San Francisco EMS Officers Association, described operational strain from 12‑hour radio shifts and staffing rules that lead to pulling RCs out of the field to backfill radio duties.
Vice President Ken Cleveland and other commissioners said they take the public and union concerns seriously and urged immediate work toward a practical resolution. "I would like to see the Chief and Local 7‑98 and, perhaps somebody from the Mayor's office sit down and resolve this problem," Cleveland said, offering to participate in a mediated solution.
The commission responded by directing staff to put the paramedic supervisor/RC4 issue on the next commission agenda as a possible action item so commissioners could receive a full briefing with exhibits and consider an actionable recommendation. That request was recorded during the chief's report period and later reiterated when commissioners developed the next meeting agenda.
Next steps: the commission asked staff to schedule a dedicated agenda item on paramedic supervision for the next meeting (listed as a potential action item), and commissioners recommended discussions among the chief, union leaders and the Mayor's office to find an immediate compromise.
