CRITICAL NEEDS: DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
FLEET & FACILITIES The SFFD responds to nearly 140,000 emergency calls for service each year with a fleet of vehicles that includes 44 Fire Engines, 20 Fire Trucks, more than 50 Ambulances, and various other specialized apparatus positioned throughout the city.
SAFETY STANDARDS The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is the leading authority to set standards and guidelines for safety in the fire service. Their recommendations are accepted as the benchmark for the way that fire departments should operate as it pertains to staffing levels, training, personal protective equipment, engine and truck safety, and much more. According to the NFPA, all frontline (primary) fire apparatus, especially those operating in a busy, urban environment like San Francisco, should be replaced every 10 years for the safety of our Firefighters and the public that we serve.
AGING INFRASTRUCTURE Currently, the SFFD has more than a dozen frontline engines that are past this 10-year recommended date of replacement. This includes Engines 22, 25, 34, and 40, all of which are at least 20 years old. Several of the frontline trucks are also well past the 10-year NFPA standard, including Trucks 2, 12, and 13 that were all built in 1998, and Truck 14 from 1999. Other SFFD trucks are approaching the 20-year mark, including Truck 16 in the Marina and Truck 18 in the Outer Sunset District. The SFFD has not received a new truck in six years! Additionally, many of the SFFD specialized apparatus which include Hose Tenders, Attack Hose Tenders, 5-Inch Hose Tenders, the Utility-Light Unit, the Pollution Control Unit, and our Fireboats are also approaching or have eclipsed the 20-year mark and are in need of replacement. Even though the SFFD took delivery of the St. Francis Fireboat two years ago, the Guardian and the Phoenix Fireboats are 50 and 60 years old, respectively. In addition to our aging fleet, the infrastructure at our fire stations is old and crumbling. Only four of our fire stations have been built from the ground up within the last 10 years.
Hernán Sa