Latest news with #SFFD
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘Crisis': S.F. fire chief says city's aging fleet could limit capacity to fight major blazes
San Francisco's aging and limited fleet of fire trucks and engines could restrict firefighters' ability to quell the blazes that could rip through the city after a major earthquake, the city's fire chief said. A four-alarm fire that tore through a Nob Hill apartment building in April and injured three people got fire chief Dean Crispen's attention, he said. More than 100 firefighters responded and extinguished the blaze in about two hours, but the event stoked Crispen's lingering fears about worst-case scenarios. 'I would have been concerned that that fire would have continued to burn for several days if it had been subsequent to an earthquake,' Crispen told the Chronicle. If it had, he said, the blaze could easily have spread through Nob Hill to Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and beyond. That's because more than a third of the San Francisco Fire Department's fleet of fire trucks and fire engines is 20 years old or older, including six front-line trucks and engines that are more than 25 years old, Crispen said. That puts SFFD far out of compliance with the voluntary standards set by the National Fire Protection Association, an industry nonprofit. Those guidelines say that 15-year-old equipment should be moved from front-line service to backup reserves, and 25-year-old equipment should be retired altogether, because outdated equipment lacks the safety upgrades of newer models, said Ken Holland, a senior specialist with the nonprofit. For SFFD to put 25-year-old trucks and engines on the front lines is 'a significant risk,' Holland said. SFFD needs to buy at least 10 fire engines and between seven and 10 fire trucks to meet NFPA standards, Crispen said. In an ideal world, SFFD's 'incredibly busy' fleet would be held to an even more stringent standard, because the city's steep hills and sharp corners mean engines and trucks 'take a fair amount of a beating here,' he said. If and when the Big One strikes, SFFD has a process for recalling as many as 1,000 firefighters into the city. Fires are common in the wake of a major earthquake. Though the 7.9 magnitude quake that roiled San Francisco in 1906 buckled buildings, 80% of property damage came from the fires that followed, sparked by downed power lines and natural gas leaks from broken mains, according to a 1972 federal report. But without enough fire trucks and engines, the reinforcements who respond to those fires could be limited in the help they can give, Crispen said. 'The problem is when they arrive, we currently don't have the apparatus for them to staff to assist in an emergency,' he said. Buying new equipment is challenging because costs have 'skyrocketed' to as high as $2.5 million for a truck and $5 million for an engine, and because supply chain delays that began during COVID have caused production timelines to stretch as long as three years, Crispen said. SFFD ordered three Rosenbauer fire trucks more than a year ago and doesn't expect them to be delivered until next summer, Crispen said. In the meantime, SFFD's aging fleet can run the department more than $500,000 a month in maintenance costs to resolve a 'litany of mechanical problems,' Crispen said. Making repairs requires taking vehicles out of service, and it's hard to find parts that fit old truck and engine models. 'We're in a bit of a crisis at this point,' he said. The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed two pieces of legislation in May intended to expedite the purchasing process by removing bureaucratic hurdles. The ordinances are expected to reach Mayor Daniel Lurie's desk in the coming weeks. One ordinance would allow Lurie, Crispen and a handful of executive staff to court private funding for a period of six months, waiving the usual requirement under the city's behested payment ordinance that prohibits city officials from seeking donations from 'interested parties,' or people who might be eligible for city contracts in the near future. The second ordinance would allow the fire department to negotiate directly with fire apparatus manufacturers, going around the required competitive bidding process. Supervisor Connie Chan, who sponsored both ordinances, said that the twin pieces of legislation were designed to 'fast track' purchasing. 'While our firefighters here in San Francisco are consistently doing their best, the equipment is not keeping up with the demands,' the District 1 supervisor told the Chronicle. Three companies — Rev Group, Oshkosh and Rosenbauer — control as much as 80% of the fire apparatus manufacturing market, according to reporting by the New York Times. 'What is there to bid when it's really monopolized by three companies?' Chan said. Chan said that the board of supervisors has discussed allocating money from the city's budget for the purchases, but that finding the money has been 'difficult.' If Lurie signs the legislation, Chan said, she is hopeful that city officials can raise about $20 million in six months, enough for up to a dozen fire trucks. She expects that the expedited purchasing process could cut the time between ordering and receiving a fire truck down to one year. Chan said she did not know who might donate to the cause, but that she was confident the mayor could leverage his connections. Crispen said the legislation gives him 'some hope' that SFFD can buy the equipment it needs. The department is making a plan for soliciting donations, he said, and 'large corporations would be an obvious starting place.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Fallen hiker rescued near Battery Crosby
The Brief The hiker fell over an edge along the Batteries to Bluffs Trail in the city's Presidio. They were airlifted from a rocky beach to safety, and it was determined that they did not need to be taken to a hospital. SAN FRANCISCO - A hiker fell over an edge along a trail leading to Battery Crosby in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon, necessitating an air rescue. The San Francisco Fire Department, the United States Park Police, and National Park Rangers were called just before 2 p.m. to the Batteries to Bluffs Trail in the city's Presidio on reports of a person over a cliff, according to an SFFD statement. Video from the scene showed an SFFD rescuer being lowered from a California Highway Patrol helicopter down to a rocky beach in order to retrieve the fallen hiker. The hiker was taken to a waiting fire department ambulance, though it was determined that they ultimately did not need to be taken to a hospital for treatment. The Source San Francisco Fire Department
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Cliff rescue at Batteries to Bluffs hiking trail
(KRON) — The San Francisco Fire Department rescued a person who fell over the cliffside along the Battery to Bluffs hiking trail near Battery Crosby and Marshall's Beach Saturday afternoon. Firefighters responded to the area around 5 p.m. and used ropes to reach the fall victim, a spokesperson with the San Francisco Fire Department told KRON4. A helicopter with the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene to provide support to rescuers. Air quality advisory: Flaring at Chevron refinery in Richmond The person is said to have suffered minor injuries from the fall. 'The adult has been evaluated and does not require a hospital visit,' SFFD stated on social media. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Person found dead in water along San Francisco waterfront near Exploratorium
A dead body was found in the water in San Francisco on Tuesday morning along the Embarcadero north of the Ferry Building, authorities said. The San Francisco Fire Department said on a social media post at 8:22 a.m. that 911 was called for a reported person in the water at Pier 15 next to the Exploratorium at the foot of Green Street. Bay Rescue: 911 was called for a reported person in the water at Pier 15 SFFD and SFPD arrived to find 1 person deceased. The medical examiner has been called and SFPD is currently on scene. #SFFD — SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) May 27, 2025 Fire crews and police officers arrived to find a person dead, the department said. The city's medical examiner was called to the scene. There was no immediate word on the person's identity or cause of death.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fire breaks out at deck of SF home in Portola neighborhood
(KRON) — Crews are responding to a house fire that broke out Monday evening in San Francisco's Portola neighborhood, the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) said. The fire broke out around 5:40 p.m. at a two-story home at 812 Goettingen St. No reports of injuries or displaced residents were mentioned by SFFD. Officials say crews have contained the fire that was on the back deck floor of the residence. Video of SFFD's response to the fire can be viewed in the media player above. Marina District gastropub shuts down after 16 years in San Francisco Fire breaks out in Vacaville where crews were conducting prescribed burn SFFD firefighters remain on scene for cleanup, along with performing salvage and overhaul. The public was asked to avoid the area of Goettingen Street between Olmstead and Mansell. SFFD first posted about the fire at 6:12 p.m. on X. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
