Fire Commission approves minutes; chief reports on staffing, training and event planning

The San Francisco Fire Commission on Sept. 27 unanimously approved minutes from its Aug. 30 special meeting and its Sept. 13 regular meeting and spent the bulk of its session on department business, including staffing, training and preparations for major city events.

Chief of Department Janine Nicholson told commissioners that plans for APEC and Fleet Week are moving forward but ‘‘what we don’t know is if the government’s gonna shut down’’ and that some federal participants could be affected. She said the department is continuing planning in the meantime. "I know the Secret Service, obviously, will even with a government shutdown keep working," Nicholson said.

Nicholson announced the start of the H3 level 1 EMT academy (academy 24) with 14 candidates and described the recruitment pipeline for the next academy: about 160 people interviewed, roughly 120 invited to a boot camp scheduled for Oct. 14, and offers due in October with the next academy expected to begin Jan. 16. "We interviewed, folks, went through the interview process with our panels...and so out of those 160 we're inviting 120 of them to our boot camp," Nicholson said.

Nicholson also noted department outreach and partnerships, including attendance at a memorial for firefighter-paramedic Megan Franzen and participation in community events with the Black Firefighter Association.

Assistant Deputy Chief Shane Kialoa delivered an administrative update covering homeland-security planning for city events (including Bay Ferry exercises, Dreamforce planning and Fleet Week exercises), recruitment partnerships such as a San Francisco Conservation Corps cohort of 14 at Treasure Island, and health-and-safety coordination. Kialoa flagged training and preparedness work: tabletop exercises for maritime incidents, terrorism-liaison staffing adjustments, and behavioral-health-unit activity.

Kialoa said support services recorded 152 service requests in August and closed 110, and that the department has encumbered new ambulances and apparatus, including Braun and Rosenbauer vehicles. He reported that professional contracts for a new fire training facility moved through the Board of Supervisors and Budget & Finance Committee and are awaiting the mayor's signature.

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about a recent uptick in COVID cases among personnel and about facilities maintenance after a report entry listed "10 water heaters installed since Jan. 1." Assistant Deputy Chief Mike Mullins (support services) said that the figure referred to a department-wide total and that Station 48 had one new water heater that month; Mullins said he would investigate an apparent misprint.

Votes at a glance: two procedural motions to approve meeting minutes were recorded as passed unanimously by the commissioners present.

The commission then moved on to a presentation from the Asian Firefighters Association and adjourned the meeting.

The commission did not take any formal policy votes beyond approval of minutes. The department said it will continue recruitment and training activities and monitor federal developments that could affect major upcoming events.