San Francisco Fire Commission adopts two-year operating budget, highlights hiring and EMS expansion

The San Francisco Fire Commission adopted its draft operating budget for fiscal years 2022'23 and 2023'24 after a briefing from the department's finance director and a round of commissioner questions.

Director of Finance and Planning Mark Corso presented the budget as a work in progress and outlined key priorities: ramping up hiring and academies, institutionalizing an EMS staffing supplemental that adds 60 ambulance positions over time, restoring a five-year fleet and equipment replacement plan (a baseline of $3.5 million per year, with $7.2 million allocated in the current year), and upgrading station network infrastructure and other IT systems. Corso said departments must submit final budgets to the mayor's office by Feb. 22 ahead of a consolidated, balanced budget due June 1.

Commissioners pressed for details on revenue and staffing. Corso said fee increases are generally tied to CPI (roughly 3% at present) and that EMS collections recover about 20% of billed fees under current insurance and reimbursement rules; he flagged ongoing state and supplemental reimbursement programs that could raise collections. On retirements, Corso said the department models demography and historical hiring patterns rather than surveying employees. Corso also described funding tracking for new positions born in COVID-era response (including HSOC) that were initially FEMA-funded but have been incorporated into the department budget and tracked in special cost centers for potential reimbursement.

Commissioners welcomed the overview. Commissioner Ken Cleveland called the presentation 'very illustrative' and thanked staff for clarifying budget numbers and equipment allocations. President Katherine Feinstein and others praised the summary material as more accessible than the larger budget book.

The commission voted to adopt the operating budget by roll call; the motion passed unanimously.

The adopted budget sets the department on a multi-year hiring trajectory that includes multiple firefighter academies and community-paramedicine expansion. Next steps: the department will finalize the submittal to the Mayor's office by Feb. 22 and pursue capital and IT project approvals through the city's Capital Planning Committee and Committee on Information Technology as appropriate.