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Public commenter raises safety and noise concerns about proposed UCSF Mission Bay rooftop helipad
Summary
Dr. Sumchai urged the council to reconsider a rooftop helipad EIR for UCSF Mission Bay, citing crash statistics, sound impacts (noting FAA/EPA 65 dB significance threshold), and that the EIR identified 'no helipad' as the safest alternative; he suggested a ground helipad at Pier 64 as a safer citywide option.
During general public comment, Dr. Sumchai addressed the council about the UCSF Mission Bay proposed rooftop helipad and the related environmental impact report (EIR).
Sumchai told the council the EIR notes the safest alternative would be no rooftop helipad and that the report identified a possible ground helipad at Pier 64 as an alternative that would serve the entire city. He cited national and recent incident data to argue the EIR underestimates safety impacts: "There are 95,000 confirmed cases worldwide...since 1991, there have been 100,000,000 helicopter flights in the United States...of those, there have been 7 fatal collisions," and he referenced recent EMS helicopter crashes and sound-impact modeling. He said modeled decibel levels on the EIR reached 80'94 dB in some places and emphasized that 65 dB is considered significant by FAA and EPA guidance, with impacts to memory and speech.
Sumchai noted UCSF planners argue rooftop operations reduce burden on EMS transfers, but he said the proposed rooftop location is on an ambulatory care building and will require secondary ground transport anyway. He recommended the council and Board of Supervisors consider a ground-site alternative and asked for careful review of safety, cumulative impacts and CEQA compliance. The item was scheduled to go before the Board of Supervisors for further consideration.
This summary is based on public comment; no action or vote took place at the Disaster Council meeting.
