Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sffd Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
SFFD reports rising call volumes, station rebuild planning and personnel needs amid budget uncertainty
Summary
Chief Dean Crispin and operations staff reported increased call volumes and a notable third‑alarm Chestnut Street fire that injured firefighters. The department briefed commissioners on capital planning to move a bond to 2026 with a preliminary $100 million estimate for station rebuilds and urged filling IT vacancies to support modernization.
San Francisco Fire Department leadership told the Fire Commission on Dec. 10 that the department has seen an uptick in calls and outside fires, described a third‑alarm incident that injured two firefighters, and outlined capital planning and staffing priorities ahead of the mayor’s budget instructions.
Chief of Department Dean Crispin summarized events and outreach since the November meeting, including community‑engagement events, academy selections and a five‑year anniversary for the Community Paramedicine program. Crispin said the Capital Planning Committee voted to move an "Easter" bond to 2026 with preliminary planning to allocate about $100,000,000 to the fire department for rebuilding stations including Stations 2, 7, 8 and 40. He stressed the estimate is preliminary and subject to escalation and feasibility analysis.
Deputy Chief of Operations Patrick Rabbit reviewed suppression data: year‑to‑date dispatches at about 7,900, an average of about 1,700 building alarm responses per month and an increase in outside fires. He described an Oct. 15 third‑alarm residential fire at 2540 Chestnut Street that required a mayday and activation of a rapid intervention crew; two department members suffered injuries, with one requiring surgery. Rabbit said the incident reinforced the need for continued training on void‑space firefighting and RIC operations.
Assistant Deputy Chief Tony Malloy and Chief April Sloan presented EMS and community paramedicine metrics. Malloy said November’s 90th‑percentile transfer‑of‑care time was 33 minutes (the best seen that year), and that resuscitation efforts during the reporting period included 51 attempted resuscitations with eight shockable rhythms leading to ROSC in eight cases. Sloan detailed community paramedicine dispatch volumes, mental‑health holds and referrals to treatment programs.
Budget context: Crispin said the department is preparing to present a staffing analysis to the mayor’s budget office and that the mayor’s budget instructions (to be released Dec. 12) will shape priorities; he warned that a potential loss of federal funding could create significant fiscal pressure citywide.
Next steps: The department will present more detailed staffing and capital feasibility analyses in upcoming budget briefings and return to the commission with updates.
