San Francisco fire officials tell CPUC autonomous-vehicle firms have impeded emergency response

Fire Chief Janine Nicholson told the San Francisco Fire Commission on Aug. 9 that the department has raised safety concerns with autonomous-vehicle companies and with the California Public Utilities Commission after vehicles interfered with emergency operations.

"An autonomous vehicle went around the engine and stopped right in between the car fire and the engine," Nicholson said, describing a recent scene near the Legion of Honor where an AV blocked firefighting access and prompted an audible gasp in a public hearing. Nicholson said she and other department leaders testified about similar incidents before the California Public Utilities Commission and criticized the companies’ public safety claims as "disingenuous."

Deputy Chief Darius Letrope said the department has begun structured, in-person meetings with technologists and policy staff from the companies, with SFMTA in attendance. "We were actually able to get in a room and see it from the car's perspective," Letrope said, adding that the sessions exposed a "cultural gap" between the companies’ procedures and field operational needs. Letrope said the meetings included development heads and policy vice presidents — roughly the same level as those who presented at the CPUC meeting.

Commissioners pressed the department about whether the companies involved senior executives. Letrope said escalation to higher executives or legislative channels would "intensify the heat," but that officials at the city or legislative level might be better suited to meet with company CEOs. Commissioner Marcy Frazier expressed concern that companies may skew safety data by operating more vehicles at night when traffic is lighter, which could bias performance metrics.

Nicholson and Letrope said the department’s objective is not to stop the technology, but to ensure vehicles learn to operate safely around firefighters and adapt to essential practices — for example, not driving over charged hoses or obstructing access. The department described continuing coordination with SFMTA, the Secret Service and other agencies ahead of large events and broader system changes.

Next steps: the commission took no formal action on this item; staff said meetings with companies and SFMTA will continue and the department will report back on outcomes and any operational changes.