Fire Commission presses SFFD for clarity on vaccine compliance, appeals process

The San Francisco Fire Commission on Sept. 8 pressed department leaders for clearer timelines and procedures after Chief Janine Nicholson said 177 San Francisco Fire Department members remained noncompliant with the department's vaccination requirement.

Nicholson told commissioners the department is meeting with noncompliant employees and reiterated scheduling guidance: the department's stated timeline requires members to have their final vaccine dose at least two weeks before the compliance date discussed at the meeting. She also said about 18 members were off work because of symptoms, positive tests or exposures.

Commissioners asked how the human-resources and disciplinary process would work if many employees miss the deadline. An HR representative said the process includes face-to-face meetings to explain requirements and consequences, including potential termination for persistent noncompliance, and that employees will have access to department-level hearings and commission appeals.

"Termination is a possible outcome if not compliant," an HR representative said, describing the multistage process and the department's effort to meet with every noncompliant employee.

Commissioners urged the department to develop a faster, predictable process. "Because we are citizen volunteers, we really need to know sooner rather than later what this process is going to be so that we can plan accordingly," one commissioner said. President Katherine Feinstein told the commission she had consulted with the city attorney and that staff were working on procedures intended to preserve employees' procedural rights while reducing the risk of an unmanageable backlog.

Commissioners also noted the role of the firefighters' bill of rights in shaping appeals and asked the department to report back with a detailed, streamlined protocol and timeline so the commission could anticipate staffing needs for potential hearings.

No formal policy change or vote occurred during the meeting; commissioners asked for follow-up reports and for staff to return with a firm procedure that balances due process and the department's operational needs.