Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure And Fire Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public commenters urge disaster council to report on Geary/Parker gas explosion, water-supply and hydrant planning
Summary
Public speakers told the Disaster Council it should have reported initial departmental responses to the Geary/Parker gas explosion and pressed for updated plans on firefighting water supplies, AWSS expansion and gas-line mapping after the incident.
Two public commenters used the council’s public-comment period to press for more information and follow-up after the recent explosion at Geary and Parker Streets.
Nancy Werfel told the council she expected an initial report from departments including fire, PUC, police and PG&E and urged review of the city’s firefighting annexes and water-utilities annex, which she said have not been updated since February 2008. Werfel warned that gaps in gas-line mapping and the absence of clear planning on how potable and nonpotable water would be used for firefighting deserve immediate attention.
Thomas Didier, a retired assistant deputy chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, said the Geary/Parker incident illustrated the intensity of fires that could result from many gas-line ruptures after a major earthquake. He noted that prolonged fire suppression needs were exacerbated by the 2½-hour interval he said PG&E needed to shut off gas at the site of the explosion, and warned that neighborhoods without AWSS hydrants face high risk of uncontrollable fire spread in a major seismic event.
What’s next: Commenters asked the council to place these emergency response and water-supply topics on a future agenda for formal departmental reports and recommendations. Council staff did not make a formal scheduling decision during the meeting.
