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Fire Department requests $89 million over two years for station repairs, HVAC, doors and IT upgrades
Summary
Department budget staff presented an $89 million two‑year capital request focused on station repairs, roof and generator replacements, apparatus bay doors, IT upgrades and seismic/ADA work. Commissioners pressed for prioritization and realistic expectations given past allocations.
The San Francisco Fire Department presented a two‑year capital budget request to the Fire Commission on Jan. 13 that would seek about $89 million for facility repairs and equipment upgrades.
Mark Corso, presenting the proposal, said the department prioritized "serious and severe" facility needs identified in a Department of Public Works assessment and requested roughly $40 million per year over two years, totaling approximately $89 million. Corso outlined project categories including roof replacements, exterior envelopes, HVAC and electrical upgrades, apparatus bay doors, generators, oxygen systems, kitchen and living‑area improvements, and IT infrastructure to support a new CAD system.
Corso noted prior capital allocations: a substantial increase last fiscal year (roughly $3.5 million this year and $2.9 million the next year) but said those sums do not address the department's entire backlog. Chief Lombardi and staff described the DPW reassessment that raised the department's long‑term facilities need from earlier estimates (about $380 million) to a preliminary $600 million when seismic retrofit and ADA compliance are included.
Commissioners questioned whether sidewalk and site‑work liabilities should be moved earlier in the request, sought more detail on line items (for example, what $132,414 per station in kitchen funds would buy), procurement turnaround (door lead times of roughly four months were noted), and whether the $89 million total is realistic in this budget climate. Corso said he did not expect the full $89 million to be funded and described the request as aligned to the CPC schedule and the city's 10‑year capital plan.
Several commissioners urged making the case for funding more persuasive by tying projects to worker health and safety — for example, using an industrial hygienist to frame why washers/extractors and improved exhaust systems matter to firefighter wellness.
What’s next: The capital planning committee will vet submissions ahead of the mayor's budget process; commissioners asked for clearer project prioritization and for staff to coordinate a persuasive case tying facility work to operational readiness and health-safety outcomes.
