San Francisco fire chiefs report jump in conservatorships, say turnout replacements and budget remain urgent priorities

San Francisco — At the May 22 meeting of the San Francisco Fire Commission, Chief Janine Nicholson outlined a busy month for the department and told commissioners that changes in state law are driving a sharp rise in local conservatorships. "Since January, 60 people have been conserved," Nicholson said, adding that there are about "701 people in conservatorship in the city." She credited Senate Bill 43 with expanding the department's tools to get people help.

Nicholson also described ongoing work to replace PFAS-containing turnout gear. She said the department has secured a $2,300,000 federal grant toward replacement and is conducting fit-testing with two manufacturers. "We want to make sure this technology works as well as the PFAS technology did," she said, but added that the department estimates a full replacement could cost about $10–12 million.

On the budget, Nicholson said department staff successfully pushed back against proposed cuts that would have reduced operations by 10% plus an additional 5%, arguing those reductions would have harmed response capacity amid rising call volume. "We were asked to cut 10% and an additional 5% as all departments were," she said, and described how planners demonstrated the operational impacts to budget officials.

Commissioners thanked staff for EMS Appreciation Week events and awards, and several asked for continued data tracking on conservatorship numbers and outcomes. Vice President Marcy Fraser pressed for the department to "keep track a little bit" of conservatorship trends to identify opportunities for advocacy. Nicholson said data are being captured and that the department will continue to coordinate with police, Emergency Management and Public Health on placements and services.

The commission also approved meeting minutes from May 8 and later voted unanimously to hold a closed session on a personnel matter; after returning to open session, the panel reported no action taken in closed session. The meeting adjourned at 06:20.

What happens next: Nicholson said staff will provide updates to the Board of Supervisors and continue testing turnout suppliers; commissioners requested quarterly updates on conservatorship trends and turnout procurement progress.