Replace Aging Front Line Equipment and Infrastructure

The SFFD responds to more than 150,000 emergency calls for service each year with a fleet of vehicles that includes 44 Fire Engines, 20 Fire Trucks, and more than 50 Ambulances.

Safety Standards

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is the leading authority to set standards and guidelines for safety in the fire service. Their recommendations are accepted as the benchmark for the way that fire departments should operate as it pertains to staffing levels, training, personal protective equipment, engine and truck safety, and so much more.

According to the NFPA, all front line (primary) fire apparatus, especially those operating in a busy, urban environment like San Francisco, should be replaced every 10 years for the safety of our Firefighters and the public that we serve.

Currently, the SFFD has more than a dozen front line engines that are past this 10-year recommended date of replacement. This includes Engines 22, 25, 34, and 40, all of which are at least 20-years old.

Several of the 20 front line trucks are also well past the 10-year NFPA standard, including Trucks 2, 12, and 13 that were all built in 1998, and Truck 14 from 1999. Other SFFD trucks are approaching the 20-year mark, including Truck 16 in the Marina and Truck 18 in the Outer Sunset District. The SFFD has not received a new truck in six years!

Aging Infrastructure

In addition to our aging fleet, the infrastructure at our fire stations is old and crumbling. Only four of our fire stations have been built from the ground up within the last 10 years.

Fleet Replacement Plan

We need an updated Fleet Replacement Plan that can serve as a roadmap over the next decade. More urgently, action is required to replace several rigs that are more than 20-years old. They are a danger to our Firefighters and the public and they create a liability for the City.

Although we realize the budget constraints that we are facing, the replacement of as many of these Trucks and Engines as possible should be a high priority for the safety of our Firefighters and the public: Truck 2 in Chinatown, Truck 10 in Laurel Heights, Truck 12 in the Haight, Truck 13 in the Financial District, Truck 19 in Stonestown, Truck 48 on Treasure Island, Engine 22 in the Sunset District, Engine 25 in the Bayview District, Engine 39 in West Portal, and the SFFD Utility Unit.

It is simply unacceptable for our Firefighters to be operating SFFD Trucks and Engines that are more than 20-years old. Our Firefighters use these rigs every single day; therefore, we must have a voice in creating a realistic SFFD Fleet Replacement Plan. We know what works, where our biggest challenges are, and how we can get the most out of our apparatuses, while still maintaining safety as our top priority.