Supervisor Chan to Introduce Legislation to Improve Disaster Preparedness in San Francisco

On Tuesday, Sept. 5, District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan will introduce a package of legislation that aims to improve fire safety and disaster preparedness in San Francisco. 

“San Francisco can learn much from the devastating fire disaster in Maui and the failure of preparation and emergency warning systems,” Supervisor Chan said. “The west side – including the Richmond District – is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters like tsunamis. Additionally, the recent apartment fires remind us that we must do better to ensure we are prepared and can adequately respond to emergencies, especially as our City is mandated by the state to build denser housing.”

Supervisor Chan has requested the San Francisco City Attorney’s office to draft ordinances to amend the San Francisco Fire Code to improve the inspection process for sprinkler systems 5-Year inspection by requiring permit filing; strengthening fire safety prevention by requiring additional training and licensing for sprinkler inspection; mandating sprinkler systems for new accessory dwelling units; and requiring a minimum of 5 feet of fire safety access from the public way to a divided lot. These changes will improve fire safety and increase our Fire Department’s capacity to fight fires. 

Supervisor Chan will also introduce a letter of inquiry to the Department of Emergency Management to demand a detailed plan with timeline and immediate restoration of the San Francisco Emergency Siren upgrades and emergency evacuation plan citywide. The emergency sirens were taken offline in 2019 for a security upgrade with a planned restoration of 2021. Supervisor Chan has called for the restoration of the sirens to be prioritized since she took office in 2021, but now, four years later, they still remain silent. The letter of inquiry will track the restoration progress and hold the Department of Emergency Management accountable to a timeline for upgrades progress.

To further enhance San Francisco’s emergency response, Supervisor Chan will hold a public hearing on the Emergency Firefighting Water System implementation. During the June 1st meeting of the Government Audits and Oversight Committee, the report from the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury on the Emergency Water Firefighting System revealed that plans to build out the system no longer included funding for the Richmond District. With this public hearing, Supervisor Chan will demand implementation of the original plan, released in 2021, which included funding for the Richmond. 

This package of legislation will create a pathway for a safer and more prepared San Francisco citywide and particularly for the Westside.