Fire Commission - April 24, 2019

 

 

The Video can be viewed by clicking this link:  http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=180&clip_id=32…

 

President Nakajo called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m.

 

1. ROLL CALL

 

Commission President Stephen Nakajo Present

Commission Vice President Francee Covington Present

Commissioner Michael Hardeman Present

Commissioner Ken Cleaveland Present

Commissioner Joe Alioto Veronese Present

 

Chief of Department Joanne Hayes-White Present

 

Mark Gonzales Deputy Chief – Operations

Jeanine Nicholson Deputy Chief –Administration

 

Khai Ali Airport

Michael Cochrane Homeland Security

Dan De Cassio Prevention

Tony Rivera Support Service

Andy Zanoff EMS

Joel Sato Division of Training

 

Assistant Chiefs

Rex Hale Division 2

Samuel Romero Division 3

 

 

2. PUBLIC COMMENT

 

Jeremy Paul, who is a permit consultant in San Francisco for 30 years and stated he has an interest in art spaces and cultural treasures and spoke on behalf of the artists that work out of the “The Farm” warehouse and that an anonymous party called the Fire Department to inform them that there were people living in the commercial space and asked the Commissioners and Department to allow them to proceed on a voluntary basis as they have the funds and commitment of the property owners to file the proper permits to legalize the space.

 

3. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES [Discussion and possible action]

Discussion and possible action to approve meeting minutes.

 

• Minutes from Regular Meeting on April 10, 2019.

 

Commissioner Cleaveland Moved to approve the above meeting Minutes.  Commissioner Hardeman Seconded.  Motion to approve above Minutes was unanimous.

 

There was no public comment.

 

4. CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT’S REPORT [Discussion]

REPORT FROM CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT, JOANNE HAYES-WHITE

Report on current issues, activities and events within the Department since the Fire Commission meeting on April 10, 2019, including budget, academies, special events, communications and outreach to other government agencies and the public.

 

President Nakajo acknowledged that this would be Chief Hayes-White’s last official report as Chief of Department.  Chief Hayes-White announced the passing of retired acting Assistant Chief, Vince Nolan and asked that the meeting be adjourned in his memory.  She reported on events and activities since the last meeting on April 10, 2019.  She also mentioned that this was her final meeting as Chief of Department and stated that over her career she has attended 353 commission meetings as Chief and prior to that, due to her roles in the Department overseeing the 9-1-1- project dating back to 1998, and Director of Training from 2000, she had eight previous years of going to meetings which would total 537, which she is very proud of and she thanked the commissioners that she has worked with over the course of 23 years, particularly her last 15 as Chief and that it has been an honor.  She acknowledged President Nakajo, whom she has worked with since 1996.   She continued her report by mentioning that the budget is on track for this fiscal year due to the good work of all the people that she works with and that discussions are ongoing.  She thanked Assistant Deputy Chief Joel Sato for his work and that of the Division of Training Staff that they do each and every day with the 44 remaining recruits who are in their 13th week.  She mentioned the upcoming H-3 Level 1 class, the bump up academy and the 126th academy which is anticipated for a fall start date.  She touched on the end of the year video that was put together by Lt. Baxter and Ben Sosin and she thanked everyone who worked on the video.  Chief Hayes-White touched on events that she attended during the reporting period, including a department head meeting with the Mayor, a meeting regarding timelines for the new Chace Arena, a read aloud day at Lafayette Elementary School, a Meals on Wheels delivery to a resident, and a Civil Service Commission meeting where she received a commendation from them.  She added that one of the highlights in her career as Fire Chief was working in close collaboration with Civil Service, DHR and Jesusa Bushong on the restoration of promotional exams in 2006 after about an eight to ten-year drought of not having promotional exams and it is something she is also very proud of.  She described the patient/rescuer reunion involving the medic unit and Engine 13 of an orthopedic surgeon who was visiting the city with his family and suffered sudden cardiac arrest on the Embarcadero at Broadway and those first responders brought him back to life.  Chief Hayes-White also attended an earthquake event along with Mayor Breed, Chief Nicholson, Sheriff Vicki Hennessy, and DEM director, Mary Ellen Carroll.  She attended the HSOC Meeting, a PG&E meeting. a NERT Drill, and the Cherry Blossom Festival.  She acknowledged her visit to the Bureau of Fire Prevention and Fire Investigation to address the members and convey her gratitude for all the work they do and mentioned that to a certain extent they are sort of the unsung heroes, and she reminded them that they are responsible for minimizing and preventing fires because of their great work.  Chief Hayes-White announced that on May 1st, the ribbon cutting on the opening of Station 5 will take place at 11:00 a.m. and later that evening she will be participating in a panel with the US District Court for Northern California Historical Society, titled "The Quest for Diversity in the San Francisco Fire Department.  On May 5th, she announced, will be her official retirement date and on May 6, 2019, Chief Nicholson will be sworn in at the Rotunda at City Hall at 11:00 a.m.  She concluded her report by saying it's been quite an honor and privilege to serve the Department for 29 years and she is very proud of where they have come, as she has seen a lot of changes in those 29 years and quite a few in the last 15 years as Chief.  She added that it's all about the great people that she has had the privileged to work with and having the ability to train and hire the majority of the Department is something that is very gratifying to her and she thinks she is leaving it better than when she arrived and that they have a very strong foundation for the future, including with the new Chief of Department.  She stated she is very grateful and is enjoying the moment in terms of the month of being able to say proper goodbyes and thank yous.  She acknowledged the people who sit in the two front rows at the commission meetings who have been very supportive of her and she wished everyone the best.

 

Commissioner Cleaveland stated that they have enjoyed working with Chief Hayes-White and that she has been professional in every sense of the word and her contributions to the Department are unequaled in terms of the diversity of the Department and that her leadership has been remarkable.  He added that he is going to miss her. 

 

Commissioner Hardman stated that Chief Hayes-White’s time has spoken for itself and he has seen how she has d devoted herself above the call of duty and he expanded on his history with the Chief and her family and that he is going to miss her and that she has done a fantastic job.  He added that he thought it was an honor to the Late Mayor Lee to be retiring on his birthday and congratulated her on her retirement.

 

Vice President Covington thanked the Chief and stated that she knows it’s quite a juggle when you have three boys, and then three teenagers, and then three young men in your life, but how fortunate she is for having such a loving family.  She acknowledged how important it is to have the diversity in the Department that Chief Hayes-White was able to compose and keep going and she wished her the best in retirement.

 

Commissioner Veronese stated it was an amazing day that would be the last meeting with Chief Hayes-White and it was sad in many ways but looking back at what she has done for the Department and the City, they could not be more thankful, and he would add ungrateful because they really have no idea the sacrifices she's made over the years and he appreciates how she's always there for families of the members of the Department.  He added that he thinks her biggest accomplishment has been raising three beautiful kids in the chaos of the job and he said chaos not because she hasn't been organized, but that you never know what the job is going to hit you with.  He stated that she has been a great civil servant and he hopes she takes some time off because she certainly deserves it. 

 

President Nakajo acknowledged the smooth and orderly transition they were privileged to be able to serve with Chief Hayes-White and Chief Nicholson.  He spoke of the history and his recollection when he became a Fire Commissioner and they were interpreting the Consent Decree.  He added that having a Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department and being a woman was a major step and a major accomplishment and he has always considered Chief Hayes-White a team player.  He acknowledged how it was proper that she had the opportunity to be able to go out on her own terms which is with honor and respect and that many truly love her because of all the devotion that she has given to the Department.  He thanked her on behalf of the Fire Commission and all the commissioners that served over the years and for taking care of business for the citizens of San Francisco.

 

There was no public comment.

 

REPORT FROM ADMINISTRATION, DEPUTY CHIEF JEANINE NICHOLSON

Report on the Administrative Divisions, Fleet and Facility status and updates, Finance, Support Services, Homeland Security, Training within the Department.

 

Chief Nicholson reported on events for the month of March.  She had Chief Cochrane report on Homeland Security.  He congratulated Chief Hayes-White and gave an overview of special events that took place during the reporting period including staffing the command post at the 4/20 celebration in Golden Gate Park as well as the Cherry Blossom in Japan Town.  He touched on preparations for Flee Week, 1906 earthquake events and a communications and resource request drill.  He described Special Operations, including the K-9 Unit events, Hope Redevelopment Site Taskforce for Vacant Building Hazards, Active shooter interagency meetings and suspicious activity reports from NCRIC.  He mentioned that disaster planning, city-wide emergency response plan is still ongoing and at the Office of Resiliency they have submitted their strategies for the future of the city and those plans are also ongoing.  He announced that the drone policy has been forwarded to Cal OES.

 

Chief Soto reported on the Training Division and congratulated Chief Hayes-White on her retirement and thanked her for her support of the Divisions and of him.  He confirmed that the 125th class is in their 13th week with 44 members and that graduation is on the 14th of June at the Scottish Rite Auditorium at 9:00 a.m.  He mentioned that they had their hazardous materials specialist recertifications with 61 members recertifying.  He described the EMS section at Treasure Island they’ve been working on including several classes for recertification and renewal of skills that members will need to be a part of the bump up academy later in the year, and they are also currently having an EMS filed evaluator training class where paramedics and EMTs on the ambulances can evaluate graduates from the EMT and paramedic academies.  In regards to specialized training, he mentioned that they had 32 members trained in the public safety diver class and a wildland refresher, with 133 members attending that course and 100 members signed up for the surf rescue recertification class. 

 

Chief Nicholson stated that the Mayor's office asked Captain Simon Pang from EMS-6 to travel to Sacramento and testify in support of SB 40, which is the conservatorship bill and it passed out of the committee 6-0 vote, which is good news.  She touched on the recent meeting with the folks from the new Chase Center to convey the Department's concerns and to advocate for the Department to ensure that they have proper access to that facility during events.  She announced that they have put two brand new engines in service at Engine 2 and Engine 8 and continue to upgrade the fleet and that in regard to Station 35, they got approval from BCDC and are very close to getting the MOU signed.  Chief Nicholson mentioned that they anticipate approximately 30 retirements at the end of June and that the 2020 bond is moving along which include 125 million dollars for neighborhood fire stations, 150 million dollars for the training facility and separate funding for emergency firefighting water supply, also known as AWSS.  She concluded her report by thanking the Chief for plucking her out of the field a year and a half ago and having faith in her that she could do the job of CD3 and she vowed to continue to work hard for the Department and with the Commission and wished Chief Hayes-White well.  She also thanked Chief Gonzales who really stepped up when she came on board and thanked them and the rest of the command staff for their support.

 

Vice President Covington asked Chief Cochrane for more information on the Office of Resiliency.  Chief Cochrane explained they are doing future planning for the city as far as utilities, sewer systems, earth preparedness, heatwaves, tsunamis, cyber terrorism, urban conflagration and they request strategies from different city departments and then submit their findings to request funding from FEMA or Cal OES.  Vice President Covington confirmed that Captain Arteseros of NERT also joins in those conversations and that the funding is requested by the Office of Resiliency.  Vice President Covington asked how many members have wildland certifications.  Chief Velo responded that they have trained 255 members and the numbers keep going up as the new firefighters come into the system.  Vice President Covington also stated it is important to get a more accurate number of events scheduled for the new Chase Arena as it would be helpful for the Department in planning. 

 

Commissioner Cleaveland asked Fire Marshal DeCossio if he could give any background on the concern during public comment by Jeremy Paul.  Chief DeCossio stated he did not have intimate knowledge of the particular facility but they do follow the process and they are consistent with the process which is when they receive a complaint, they respond and inspect.  If there is a violation of the fire code, they notify the occupants.  He was not aware of any orders to vacate, as they have not come through his office.  He added that the intent in everything when they respond to a complaint and a violation is to make sure all the occupants are safe, first and foremost and they do not issue an order to vacate unless it’s deemed an imminent danger or hazard.

 

Commissioner Hardeman thought that Mayor Breed's idea of a transition was a brilliant move and that she deserves a pat on the back.  He acknowledged his respect and admiration for Chief Joanne Hayes-White and that she was the best person he's worked with, in government.  He acknowledged Governor Newson, who appointed a litany of women leaders to city departments, which was not an easy decision at the time.  He mentioned the recent fire at Notre Dame in Paris and commended all the firefighters who made a conscious decision to risk their lives to save the structure.

 

Commissioner Veronese asked that if there was anything the SFFD could have done to help in the Notre Dame fire.  Chief Nicholson responded that church fires are notoriously difficult to fight and they typically don’t send people over there during an investigation but  there will be an After Action Report and investigation that comes out and they will look at those and learn from incidents such as this and once they get that report, they will share it with the Commission.

 

President Nakajo confirmed that the transition seems to have been smooth and orderly and it gave her an opportunity with her command staff to be able to have functionality and time to be able to perform within their duties and tasks, which he knows will take time and the Commission will support her with that and with the rest of the command force.  He also acknowledged Mark Corso and Jesusa Bushong for their contributions as well as Chief Gonzales for his service and dedication to the Department. 

 

There was no public comment.

 

6. COMMISSION REPORT [Discussion]

Report on Commission activities since last meeting on April 10, 2019

 

Commissioner Hardman acknowledged the two female visitors from Kansans City and thanked them for coming to the commission meeting.

 

President Nakajo stated he met with the Civil Grand Jury in April and part of the discussion was on the AWSS as well as discussions on the next big earthquake.  He also attended the NERT Drill immediately following the meeting with the Grand Jury.  He added that he appreciates the concept of being ready and he thinks it is appropriate if they encourage the city and county of San Francisco with all components that are involved with preparation to start having joint coordination or joint drills and public relations and advertisements as well as educating the public in terms of that. 

 

There was no public comment.

 

7. AGENDA FOR NEXT AND FUTURE FIRE COMMISSION MEETINGS [Discussion]

Discussion regarding agenda for the next and future regular meetings.

 

President Nakajo stated that he purposely made the agenda short, simply out of respect and honoring Chief Hayes-White so that everyone can share some time with the Chief on her last meeting.

 

• Charter amendment on discipline hearings

• Closed session deliberations on discipline matter

 

There was no public comment.

 

7. RESOLUTION 2019-02 [Discussion and possible action]

Discussion and possible action regarding proposed Resolution 2019-02, commending Chief Joanne Hayes-White for her dedication and outstanding service to the members of the SFFD and the City and County of San Francisco.

 

Each of the Commissioners read a portion of the below resolution:

 

RESOLUTION 2019-02

COMMENDING CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT, JOANNE HAYES-WHITE FOR HER DEDICATION AND OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE MEMBERS OF THE SFFD AND THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO

 

WHEREAS, Joanne Hayes-White entered the San Francisco Fire Department in April of 1990 and became the first female Chief of the Department in January of 2004, and

WHEREAS, Chief Joanne Hayes-White has served the City and County of San Francisco with dedication, professionalism, passion, honor, integrity, and honesty, and

WHEREAS, over the nearly 30 years of her service to the San Francisco Fire Department, Joanne Hayes-White has accomplished many goals, far too many to list, and has worked tirelessly to promote the Mission of the San Francisco Fire Department, and

WHEREAS, the San Francisco Fire Commissioners wish to extend their utmost appreciation for the outstanding work and accomplishments of Chief Hayes-White and for her efforts to make the San Francisco Fire Department one of the most diverse in the nation;

BE IT RESOLVED, the San Francisco Fire Commission recognizes Chief Hayes-White’s achievements and her contributions to the City and County of San Francisco, and, 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Fire Commission extend their sincere best wishes for every happiness in the future and thank her for her devotion and outstanding service to the members of the San Francisco Fire Department and the City and County of San Francisco.

 

Adopted at the Regular Meeting of the San Francisco Fire Commission on April 24, 2019.

 

Ayes: 5

Nays: 0

 

Commissioner Cleaveland and Hardeman Moved to approve the above Resolution.  Vice President Covington and Commissioner Veronese Seconded.  Motion to approve above Resolution was unanimous.

 

8. ADJOURNMENT President Nakajo adjourned the meeting in the memory of retired member Vince Nolan at 6:22 p.m.