Keeping the West Side Safe

Last month, Mayor Daniel Lurie and Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman supported my efforts to advance a package of legislation to modernize the City’s aging firefighting apparatuses.

The San Francisco Fire Department members are the first responders to our emergencies and stand ready regardless of the danger to their own lives. As the detrimental fire disasters in both Maui and Los Angeles taught us, we must ensure our firefighters are equipped with the most suitable and up-to-date equipment utilizing the latest technology available and that our infrastructure is ready for any emergency that we may face. But we must also face the reality of our growing budget deficit and be innovative to problem solve.

San Francisco’s firefighting apparatuses are aging. Most are more than 10 years old, and there are engines still in use today from the 1970s. Adding to the obstacle of obtaining new fire engines and trucks is our need for specialized equipment that can climb our steepest hills, navigate our narrow and winding streets, reach hard-to-access spaces and buildings, and all unique aspects of San Francisco’s terrain. Further complicating matters is a near nationwide monopoly on fire apparatus manufacturing by only three companies across the United States, leading to years-long waits for equipment delivery.

To solve these real problems, we have introduced two pieces of legislation. The first legislation I authored grants our Fire Department the authority to conduct sole-source procurement to manufacture and purchase fire apparatuses that are best equipped to fight fires and any disasters specific to San Francisco’s terrain and buildings. This legislation will also speed up the timeline for delivery of our new firefighting apparatuses.

Our second piece of legislation, in partnership with the mayor and President Mandelman, will help solve for our budget crisis by granting the mayor, Fire Chief Dean Crispin and selected members of their executive teams the authority to fundraise outside of public dollars to purchase these new apparatuses.

Lastly, we are continuing our efforts to ensure the buildout of the Emergency Firefighting Water System is delivered as scheduled. We will hold a hearing this month to learn from our San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the Fire Department for an update on their progress and timeline for the finished construction of the westside pipeline. The project is currently undergoing the design phase with an estimated $400 million needed to complete the design for the entire westside system, from Lake Merced through the Sunset and the entire Outer Richmond.

The funding is from two sources: $100 million from the 2019 Proposition B – thanks for former Supervisor Sandra Fewer’s advocacy – and an additional $300 million from water bonds from our partnership with the SF Public Utilities Commission team in 2023. We expect that this system will be ready for construction in 2028 and additional bond dollars for the construction will be needed then. This legislative package and the vital infrastructure upgrades will help keep not only the west side but our entire City safe as well as protect the safety of our firefighters and first responders.

Connie Chan represents District 1 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.