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Operations report praises Fulton Street response; investigation caseloads decline
Summary
Deputy Chief Gonzales commended crewss response to a Feb. 13 Fillmore District third-alarm fire and told the commission that the number of open fire investigation reports has fallen substantially; the Fire Marshal said investigations are case-by-case and the department is reducing the supervisor-level backlog.
Deputy Chief Gonzales opened the operations report by detailing the Feb. 13 third-alarm fire in the Fillmore District, which involved three buildings and posed challenges including damaged wiring and limited aerial access. He commended the tactics and personnel who responded, calling their work "amazing" and describing the incident as one where early tactical decisions prevented wider spread.
The report listed operational metrics and outreach activity: engines and units conducted ocean-safety community outreach and social-media prevention messages that Gonzales said led to two rescues after the PSA campaign.
On inspections and investigations, Gonzales said progress is being made. He reported the number of open R2 inspections (apartment/condo inspections for 9+ unit buildings) fell from 525 on Feb. 3 to 196, and that active fire investigation reports totaled 203 as of January. Fire Marshal Dan Dicosio told commissioners that reports exist in multiple review stages and that roughly 38 reports were awaiting final supervisory sign-off, a marked reduction from earlier counts.
Dicosio said the time required to complete investigations varies widely by case — for example, cases with fatalities or complex evidence require coordination with outside agencies and lab work — and that the office aims to maintain a manageable caseload per investigator. "We try to target roughly 7 or 8 reports per investigator as a reasonable caseload," he said.
Commissioners asked whether a cause had been determined for the Fulton Street fire; Gonzales said the incident remained under investigation and the fire marshal would provide updates when available. The commission requested continued updates on the investigation timeline and information on how social-media and PIO coordination are being used during major incidents.
