Fire chief: budget up slightly and SFFD will press California PUC on AV and battery safety

San Francisco Fire Chief Janine Nicholson reported to the Fire Commission on July 26 that the city’s budget, just signed by the mayor, preserves and increases funding for the department and that staff are pursuing legislative and regulatory avenues to address recent incidents involving autonomous vehicles and lithium-ion batteries.

Nicholson said the department "did not lose money in this budget" and estimated the increase at "somewhere between 13 and $15,000,000," while cautioning that funds will take time to flow. She said the mayor and board leadership prioritized public safety amid broader citywide cuts.

Nicholson described an incident in which an autonomous vehicle responding to traffic issues "stopped at the intersection and stayed there for about 30 minutes" before moving on. "We will be meeting with the California PUC," she said, adding the department prefers to meet as a city delegation rather than a public-safety-only group to ensure a coordinated approach.

The chief and staff said preliminary findings point to battery hardware issues in many incidents: "many of these batteries that we're having issues with are ones that are not UL, United Laboratories, certified or are ones that have been worked on, fixed," Nicholson said, noting lower-cost or modified batteries appear more likely to fail. Commissioners pressed the department for possible legislative options; Nicholson said Fire Marshal Ken Coughlin and others are researching policy and technical responses and that she will work with elected officials to develop proposals.

Why it matters: the department frames the issue as both a public-safety operational problem and a regulatory gap; the commission will track proposed legislation and interagency PUC engagement. The department also flagged expected operational demands related to major November events that will require interagency planning.

Next steps: Nicholson said staff will follow up on technical research, coordinate with the City’s PUC engagement, and return to the commission with updates on proposed legislative language and any operational guidance for crews.