Fire Commission - April 13, 2022
Agenda
Agenda full text
SAN FRANCISCO 
FIRE COMMISSION
Fire Commission Regular Meeting
April 13, 2022, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 400 n San Francisco n California n 94102
AGENDA
To join the meeting, use the following link for attendees:
:
https://ccsf.webex.com/ccsf/onstage/g.php?MTID=ea1cfda3167f154e9b6cde5a464d05223
Watch live at www.sfgovtv.org
Participating During Public Comment: By Phone
Public Comment Call in number is:
1-415-655-0001
Access Code:
2495 075 3081
Members of the public will have opportunities to participate during public comment. The public is asked to wait for the particular agenda item before making a comment on that item. Comments will be addressed in the order they are received. When the moderator announces that the Commission is taking public comment, members of the public can:
- Raise hand” by pressing * 3 and you will be queued.
- Callers will hear silence when waiting for your turn to speak. Operator will unmute you.
- When prompted, callers will have the standard three minutes to provide comment.
- Ensure you are in a quiet location
- Speak clearly
- Turn off any TVs or radios around you
Item No.
1. ROLL CALL
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President |
Katherine Feinstein |
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Vice President |
Stephen A. Nakajo |
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Commissioner |
Francee Covington |
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Commissioner |
Amie Morgan |
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Chief of Department |
Jeanine Nicholson |
Ramaytush Ohlone Land Acknowledgement
The San Francisco Fire Commission acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the indigenous stewards of this land, and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramaytush Ohlone have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. As guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the Ancestors, Elders, and Relatives of the Ramaytush Ohlone community and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples.
2. RESOLUTION 2022-07 [Discussion and possible action]
Resolution making findings to allow teleconferenced meetings under California Government Code Section 54953(e)
3. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
Members of the public may address the Commission for up to three minutes on any matter within the Commission’s jurisdiction that does not appear on the agenda. Speakers shall address their remarks to the Commission as a whole and not to individual Commissioners or Department personnel. Commissioners are not to enter into debate or discussion with a speaker. The lack of a response by the Commissioners or Department personnel does not necessarily constitute agreement with or support of statements made during public comment.
4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES [Discussion and possible action]
Discussion and possible action to approve meeting minutes.
- Minutes from Special Meeting on February 24, 2022 – 11:00 a.m.
- Minutes from Special Meeting on February 25, 2022 – 9:00 a.m.
- Minutes from Special Meeting on February 28, 2022 – 9:00 a.m.
- Minutes from Special Meeting on March 3, 2022 – 9:30 a.m.
- Minutes from Special Meeting on March 16, 2022 – 10:00 a.m.
- Minutes from Regular Meeting on March 23, 2022.
5. CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT’S REPORT [Discussion]
REPORT FROM CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT, JEANINE NICHOLSON
Report on current issues, activities, and events within the Department since the Fire Commission meeting on March 23, 2022, including budget, academies, special events, communications and outreach to other government agencies and the public.
REPORT FROM OPERATIONS, DEPUTY CHIEF ROBERT POSTEL
Report on overall field operations, including greater alarm fires, Emergency Medical Services, Bureau of Fire Prevention & Investigation, Training within the Department., and Airport Division.
6. AGENDA FOR NEXT AND FUTURE FIRE COMMISSION MEETINGS [Discussion]
Discussion regarding agenda for next and future Fire Commission meetings.
7. ADJOURNMENT
San Francisco Fire Commission
NOTICE OF COMMISSION PROCEDURES
Commission Meeting Schedule and Location
The Fire Commission will meet regularly on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102. The second Wednesday in Room 416 at 9:00 a.m. and the fourth Wednesday in Room 400 at 5:00 p.m.
Commission Office
The Fire Commission Office is located at 698 Second Street, Room 220, San Francisco, CA 94107. The Fire Commission telephone number is (415) 558-3451; the fax number is (415) 558-3413. The web address is http://sf-fire.org/fire-commission-home. Office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Language Access
Per the Language Access Ordinance (Chapter 91 of the San Francisco Administrative Code), Chinese, Spanish and or Filipino (Tagalog) interpreters will be available upon requests. Meeting Minutes may be translated, if requested, after they have been adopted by the Commission. Assistance in additional languages may be honored whenever possible. To request assistance with these services please contact the Commission Secretary at (415) 558-3451, or fire.commission@sfgov.org at least 48 hours in advance of the hearing. Late requests will be honored if possible.
Information on Disability Access
The hearing rooms in City Hall are wheelchair accessible. The closest accessible BART station is the Civic Center Station at United Nations Plaza and Market Street. Accessible MUNI lines serving this location are: #42 Downtown Loop, and #71 Haight/Noriega and the F Line to Market and Van Ness and the Metro Stations at Van Ness and Market and at Civic Center. For information about MUNI accessible services call (415) 923-6142. There is accessible curbside parking adjacent to City Hall on Grove Street and Van Ness Avenue and in the vicinity of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue adjacent to Davies Hall and the War Memorial Complex. For more information about MUNI accessible services, call (415) 701-4485.
To obtain a disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services, to participate in the meeting, please contact the Commission Secretary at least two business days before the meeting at (415) 558-3451 to make arrangements. Late requests will be honored, if possible.
To assist the City’s efforts to accommodate persons with severe allergies, environmental illnesses, multiple chemical sensitivity or related disabilities, attendees at public meetings are reminded that other attendees may be sensitive to various chemical based products. Please help the City to accommodate these individuals.
Policy on use of Cell Phones, Pagers and Similar Sound-Producing Electronic Devices at and During Public Meetings
The ringing and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at Fire Commission meetings. Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound-producing electronic device.
Documents for Public Inspection
Documents referred to in this agenda, if not otherwise exempt from disclosure, are available for public inspection and copying at the Fire Commission Office. If any materials related to an item on this agenda are distributed to the Fire Commission after distribution of the agenda packet, those materials, if not otherwise exempt from disclosure, are also available for public inspection at the Fire Commission Office, 698 Second Street, room 220, San Francisco, during normal office hours.
Know Your Rights under the Sunshine Ordinance
(Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code)
Government's duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public. Commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people’s business. This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people’s review. For more information on your rights under the sunshine ordinance or to report a violation of the ordinance, contact the sunshine ordinance task force. You may contact the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force Administrator, as follows: Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, City Hall, Room 244, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102-4689, Phone: (415) 554-7724, Fax: (415) 554-5784, E-mail: sotf@sfgov.org. Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Task Force, the San Francisco Public Library and on the City’s Web site at http://www.sfgov.org.
San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance
Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local policy or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance (San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code sections 2.100 – 2.160) to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at 30 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 3900, San Francisco, CA 94102, telephone (415) 581-2300, fax (415) 581-2317 and Web site: http://www.sfgov.org/ethics/.
Minutes
Minutes full text
FIRE COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING
DRAFT MINUTES
April 13, 2022, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 400 n San Francisco n California n 94102
This meeting was held in person and remotely on WebEx
The Video can be viewed by clicking this link: https://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=180&clip_id=40727
President Feinstein called the meeting to order at 9:07 a.m.
|
Commission President |
Katherine Feinstein |
Present |
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Vice President |
Stephen Nakajo |
Present |
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Commissioner |
Francee Covington |
Present |
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Commissioner |
Armie Morgan |
Present |
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Robert Postel |
Deputy Chief -- Operations |
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Thomas O’Connor |
Deputy Chief --Administration |
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Sandy Tong |
EMS |
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Simon Pang |
Community Paramedicine |
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David Brown |
Airport Division |
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Ken Cofflin |
Bureau of Fire Prevention |
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Shayne Kaialoa |
Division of Training |
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Ramon Serrano |
Support Services |
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Erica Arteseros |
Homeland Security |
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Natasha Parks |
Health and Wellness |
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Staff |
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Mark Corso |
Deputy Director of Finance |
President Feinstein read the Ramaytush Ohlone Land Acknowledgement.
2. RESOLUTION 2022-07 [Discussion and possible action]
Resolution making findings to allow teleconferenced meetings under California Government Code Section 54953(e)
Vice President Nakajo Moved to adopt the Resolution. President Feinstein Seconded. The motion was unanimous.
There was no public comment.
3. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
4. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES [Discussion and possible action]
Discussion and possible action to approve meeting minutes.
- Minutes from Special Meeting on February 24, 2022 – 11:00 a.m.
Commissioner Covington Moved to approve the 2/23/22 minutes and Commissioner Morgan Seconded. The motion was unanimously approved.
There was no public comment.
- Minutes from Special Meeting on February 25, 2022 – 9:00 a.m.
Commissioner Covington Moved to approve the 2/23/22 minutes and Commissioner Morgan Seconded. The motion was unanimously approved.
There was no public comment.
- Minutes from Special Meeting on February 28, 2022 – 9:00 a.m.
Commissioner Covington Moved to approve the 2/23/22 minutes and Commissioner Morgan Seconded. The motion was unanimously approved.
There was no public comment.
- Minutes from Special Meeting on March 3, 2022 – 9:30 a.m.
Commissioner Covington Moved to approve the 2/23/22 minutes and Commissioner Morgan Seconded. The motion was unanimously approved.
There was no public comment.
- Minutes from Special Meeting on March 16, 2022 – 10:00 a.m.
Commissioner Covington Moved to approve the 2/23/22 minutes and Commissioner Morgan Seconded. The motion was unanimously approved.
There was no public comment.
- Minutes from Regular Meeting on March 23, 2022.
Commissioner Covington Moved to approve the 2/23/22 minutes and Commissioner Morgan Seconded. The motion was unanimously approved.
There was no public comment.
5. CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT’S REPORT [Discussion]
REPORT FROM CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT, JEANINE NICHOLSON
Report on current issues, activities, and events within the Department since the Fire Commission meeting on April 13, 2022, including budget, academies, special events, communications, and outreach to other government agencies and the public.
Chief Nicholson provided a COVID update stating that two members are out with COVID, three are in quarantine, and seven have been out longer than 30 days for a total of 12. She announced that on Monday, she was able to welcome the H-3Level 1 class that started a few weeks ago. She mentioned that they have offered paid internships to 10 members of the 9910 cohort from the city EMT program to get their 500 hours of ambulance experience. She also swore in two Jesuit Chaplains to represent the Department. She mentioned that old Station 49 is currently being renovated to accommodate the growing community paramedic division and Chief Pang and his team hopes to get folks in there over the next few weeks. She added that this week is Dispatchers Week and she, Chief Postel, and Chief O’Connor visited their dispatchers yesterday to thank them for the hard work they do every day and that Chief Tong, and her team treated the dispatchers to some goodies as a sign of their appreciation. Chief Nicholson touched on the big fire at the Benicia Port where she deployed the fireboat for mutual aid. She also talked about budget issues.
There was no public comment.
Vice President Nakajo thanked Chief Nicholson for her report and stated it’s very good to hear about the COVID numbers decreasing in the Department. He also commented on the EMT program in terms of the pipeline wherein 4 members were offered positions.
Commissioner Morgan commended the Chief on a great job of dealing with the fire in Benicia. He also acknowledged the great work being done by the street response teams and that he enjoyed meeting the Chaplains yesterday as he thinks it’s good for people’s spiritual and religious needs and that they serve a very important purpose.
President Feinstein commended the chief on the creation of the city EMT program and stated it is exactly what the city needs and is going to be a benefit to the participants and benefit to the citizens. She also acknowledged everyone who participated in recognizing the dispatchers.
REPORT FROM OPERATIONS, DEPUTY CHIEF ROBERT POSTEL
Report on overall field operations, including greater alarm fires, Emergency Medical Services, Bureau of Fire Prevention & Investigation, Homeland Security, Airport Division.
Chief Postel reported on operations from March. He stated that March was a relatively quiet month, and they had no greater alarms. He mentioned that as March wrapped up, things quickly got busy, and they had two greater alarms plus the fireboat incident in Benicia. The first greater alarm was a second alarm on the Upper Terrace and was an incredibly challenging fire as it was wind-driven, and it was a large apartment building at the top of the hill. He added that everyone did an outstanding job. The second fire was the Dubose Triangle incident which was a third alarm and Chief Thompson was the Incident Commander. He mentioned that it was a very tough fire, and the crews did an outstanding job. The third incident that he highlighted was the fireboat’s mutual aid response to Benicia as the SFFD has the only fireboat on the bay that has the under-pier nozzles that can attack a fire like that and once on scene they made a huge impact on that fire. He touched on the H-3 Level 2 Advancement Academy that graduated on March 18th and the H-3 Level 2 academy class that started on March 28th, the Community paramedicine teams that will be moving into old Station 49 and will be sharing that facility with the Bureau of Equipment. He added that EMS-6 continues to connect the high utilizers of the 9-1-1 system with services and assistance, and the Street Crisis Response Team which had 779 calls for service in March, the Street Overdose Response Team responded to 108 incidents and the Street Wellness Response Team had 353 encounters during the month. He touched on the Bureau of Fire Prevention and Investigation, the Airport Division, and the Division of Training. He reported that he, Assistant Deputy Chief Kaialoa, and Assistant Deputy Chief Serrano toured the new Hayward training facility which is still under construction but far advanced and they gained a lot of insight in the process and took away some wonderful ideas on concepts for their facility that will be upcoming.
There was no public comment.
Commissioner Covington asked Chief Postel to elaborate more on the Slow Street barriers that caused interference with the Duboce Triangle fire. Chief Postel stated that neighbors had placed some hard barricades in the street, concrete planters, and things that restricted access into the fire block itself as well as for laddering purposes at the building, and those issues have been brought up through the Bureau of Fire Prevention and brought to MTA’s attention that they need to be diligent about removing these non-approved barricades. Commissioner Covington asked Chief Thompson if he had anything to add, as he was the Incident Commander for this fire, and Chief Thompson explained the challenges they faced, including getting dispatched to the wrong address, the overhead wires, trees, and barricades. He added that it was one of the most challenging fires he’s seen. Chief Cofflin explained in detail how the process works to have these illegal barricades removed. Commissioner Covington thanked Chief Cofflin for his overview of the process and stated that she thinks it is important for her fellow citizens to know the kind of obstructions that exist during a crisis and that when someone needs help, every second counts and the Slow Streets have not been well thought out. She confirmed that the St. Francis Fireboat was dispatched to the Benicia Fire and the Phoenix is in dry dock in Sausalito.
Vice President Nakajo thanked Chief Postel for his comprehensive report and stated that he appreciates his articulation and summaries in his report. He acknowledged the various chief’s out in the field assisting on all the fires as well as the members, including the fireboat and crew and staff for being able to deal with all the fire suppressions they have had to respond to. He added that the Department is getting a lot of recognition in terms of the work they are doing with paramedicine and EMS. He asked Chief Postel to comment on the accident that happened between two fire trucks at Laguna and Greenwich. Chef Postel stated that Engine 38 and Engine 16 were responding to a call for service when they collided. He added that it was a four-way stop and they are investigating the speed of the rigs and whether there was driver fault and how it could have been avoided. He added the investigation is ongoing. He added that they were two of the newer engines that were involved in the accident, and they are both out of service for an extended period, which impacts the reserve fleet, and depending on whether they can be repaired they will be down two more engines if they can’t be repaired. Vice President Nakajo confirmed that no members were seriously injured in this accident, which he is very grateful for. He confirmed with Chief Pang that there are 14 street teams in addition to EMS-6, which has four units. He touched on the new Medicare payment model titled Emergency Triage Treat and Transport which will collect revenue for the Department. Vice President Nakajo confirmed that there are currently 47 recruits in the 129th academy class that is slated to graduate on June 3, 2022, and that the 130th academy class is tentatively scheduled to start on June 27th with 52 recruits.
President Feinstein thanked Chief Postel for his report and expressed her concern about the process of getting barricades removed from streets. Chief Postel added that whenever they see something that they view as a potential impediment to them being able to respond to an incident, they will report that and take action to try and have it removed, and they work with the Bureau of Fire Prevention to get it done through MTA as the Fire Department does not have any enforcement capabilities. He added that it is his understanding that the MTA contacts DPW to get the barricade removed. President Feinstein confirmed that at the Noe Street fire, the barricades did not get moved and they were forced to move around them in responding to the fire. She confirmed that high-risk stratification scores are patients that are costing Anthem Blue Cross a lot of money. She stated that Buprenorphine is a tool that she thinks the Department should have access to and she respectfully thinks that should fall to the health system to facilitate and ensure the SFFD should have it, and she thanked Chief Pang for pursuing it and she hopes he can get it on the rigs and begin the process. She commended all the firefighters who responded to the recent greater alarms that were brilliantly and efficiently handled and the fact that nobody was seriously injured or killed just goes to show the good work they do and she appreciates them all.
There was no public comment.
6. AGENDA FOR NEXT AND FUTURE FIRE COMMISSION MEETINGS [Discussion]
Discussion regarding agenda for next and future Fire Commission meetings.
- Introduction of the newly sworn Chaplains
- Update from Jim Conners on the City College Program
- Update from Chief Peoples on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Fire Reserve update from Chief Phil Buckley
- Update from GOTC
7. ADJOURNMENT President Feinstein adjourned the meeting at 10:45 a.m.