Commission approves updated SFFD rules and regulations, creates EMS division

The San Francisco Fire Commission unanimously approved a revised edition of the San Francisco Fire Department rules and regulations on Sept. 13, 2023, a revision the department said had not been comprehensively updated since 2012.

Assistant Deputy Chief Michael (Mike) Mullen, co-chair of the policy and procedure work group, described the update as a structural reorganization and cleanup: “The big addition obviously is EMS as a division in the department,” he said, and added that the rewrite puts current organizational changes — including a strengthened Bureau of Fire Prevention and Investigation and new divisions for homeland security, DEI and health and safety — into the rules and regs.

The revisions also add an explicit accountability section for leadership positions through the captain and chief ranks, remove gendered language and delete a residency requirement ruled invalid by the state. The department said it also broadened the disciplinary references to include applicable city ordinances, regulations and charter sections rather than relying solely on department rules.

Commissioners asked procedural and practical questions. One commissioner sought assurance that the changes would not have immediate budget effects; the department said no budget impact was expected. Another commissioner asked for clarity on where divisional numbering had changed and the department explained historical budgetary and organizational factors.

The commission also noted a clerical issue: the document submitted lacked page numbers. The City Attorney’s office and department staff agreed to ensure pagination and to record an approval date on the cover page. Commissioner Paula Collins moved approval; Commissioner Marcy Frazier seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

What’s next: Department staff said the rules and regs serve as a table of contents for an upcoming policy-and-procedure manual. The commission and department will follow through on pagination and on more detailed policy writeups that will flow from the approved rules and regulations.