SF Fire Chief defends limiting aid to Valley Fire
SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - Firefighters gave emotional testimony at the Fire Commission meeting Thursday, describing their agonizing wait to respond to the mutual aid call at the Valley Fire, and their eventual frustration and embarrassment over Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White's decision to send just one rig and not a full five-rig strike team, as Assistant Chief Tom Siragusa had recommended.
Ten firefighters from the department stood up and told commissioners that the Chief's decision was wrong.
"We missed our mark. We missed our calling. And frankly I'm a bit embarrassed," said San Francisco firefighter Shane Kaialoa.
"It's about informing you the Commission of another example of the disconnect of this administration from the men and women who actually do the job," said Shon Buford, another member of the San Francisco fire department.
Rank and file members noted that for years now, their union has had concerns over the Fire Chief's leadership and had issued a vote of no confidence in the Fire Chief.
The firefighters asked the fire commission to investigate the Valley Fire decision and provide direction for future mutual aid calls.
"It was really, really heartbreaking to be told to stand down and do nothing and be sitting in a community when San Mateo and other agencies are literally driving through our town to go help out," said Tom Abbott, a San Francisco Fire Battallion Chief who was working the night the mutual aid call came in.
"It was a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation," Chief Hayes-White told the commission.
The Fire Chief defended her decision, saying since July, San Francisco has answered mutual aid calls by sending 91 members on five deployments throughout the state. She said that six fire rigs had already been deployed to the Butte fire. One was a state-funded fire rig and the other five were purchased by San Francisco as a wildfire response team, so they are not used in the regular city fire-fighting rotation.
Chief Hayes-White said she decided to keep mandatory staffing in San Francisco as required by Prop F to protect the city in case of an emergency and her decision was limited by the number of available fire rigs, not the number of fire personnel.
"We have a heavy call volume in the city and I was not willing to take that chance," the Chief told the commission.
She said on Sunday September 13th she had told state fire officials that she could send personnel on buses to assist in fighting the Valley Fire, but the state did not accept the offer.
The rigs sent to the Butte fire were released on Wednesday and reassigned to the Valley Fire, but she said one broke down and had maintenance issues.
She also said that Prop F allows for emergency response to mutual aid calls within the nine county Bay Area and that Lake County was outside that boundary.
Rank and file members disputed her interpretation of Prop F, saying that there is a provision which allows the Fire Commission and Board of Supervisors to approve emergency changes to the mandatory staffing levels.
There was one point on which everyone seemed to agree.
The Fire Chief voiced her own criticism for the city, saying that repeated funding cuts have depleted the department’s resources, leaving firefighters with an aging fleet, subject to maintenance problems and limiting their response capabilities.
"Our $50 million request for equipment in the form of apparatus was met with a reply that the city's funding for total apparatus for the city is more like $10 million," Chief Hayes-White said, noting that one fire rig can cost $850,000 with additional costs for equipment and housing.
Andrea Evans, the Fire Commission President said she disagreed with the Chief's decision, but vowed to do more to fight for funding.
"If this department is not adequately resourced, not only will we not be able to help Lake County, but when it hits the fan here, we might not be able to help ourselves," Evans said.
Even the one of the chief's most vocal critics agreed.
"It has been 8 years that the SF fire department has been desperately pleading for them to be able to replace our apparatus, 8 years," said San Francisco Assistant Fire Chief Tom Siragusa.
Commissioners said they vow to investigate and launch a campaign.
"From the mayor's office to the supervisors...we'll put out the information...but again, we're going to need a plan to figure that out," said Fire Commissioner Stephen Nakajo.
Nakajo says the commission is forming a committee with fire personnel to develop a plan for obtaining more funding. He says discussion is expected to continue at the commission's next meeting in October.