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SFFD presents draft operating budget and hiring plans, seeks multi‑year fleet funding
Summary
San Francisco Fire Department told the commission it requested roughly $70 million in additional allocations for unfunded needs and prioritized a multi‑year vehicle and equipment replacement plan; the department is also pursuing hiring to expand EMT/paramedic capacity.
CFO Mark Corso and department leaders updated the San Francisco Fire Commission on April 13 about the department's draft operating budget and hiring progress. Corso said the department submitted its operating budget to the mayor's office in late February and declined to submit the requested 1.5% general‑fund reductions. Instead, the department requested additional allocations for identified unfunded needs totaling approximately $70,000,000.
Corso and Chief Hayes White told the commission the top budget priority is funding a vehicle and equipment replacement plan on an ongoing basis rather than year‑to‑year. Corso said the budget committee has reconvened and met with the mayor's acting budget director and that the department will present to the city's Budget and Finance Committee as part of the broader public safety presentations.
On staffing and recruitment, the department reported ongoing academy activity and hiring: the 109th academy is in progress with roughly 52 members and an anticipated June 9 graduation; a planned 120th academy is scheduled to begin June 20 with about 54 attendees; conditional offers have been made to 32 H3 level 1 EMTs for an April 25 class, and the administration is pursuing additional per‑diem paramedic hiring to increase surge capacity. The department said its goal is to reach an internal pool of roughly 100 H3 candidates by year end to strengthen EMS capacity.
Union representatives told the commission they will advocate for the full budget request at upcoming board hearings. No formal budget decisions were made at the April 13 meeting; the department will continue committees and outreach to the mayor's office and the board of supervisors.
