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>> good morning. welcome to st. francis memorial hospital. note welcome -- welcome to the fifth annual tree lighting. we are recognizing the role that the burn center played to us in the community of st. francis and the whole region and wished to demonstrate for you today the risk of christmas trees -- the danger that they present to us. we have a couple of guests to speak to us on behalf of the burn center. i wanted first introduced the centers assemblywoman. >> thank you. growing up, show and tell was one of my favorite things, and

this is the ultimate show and tell. this is the fifth annual tree lighting, burning ceremony. and i want to thank the san francisco fire department for keeping us safer. also, st. francis memorial hospital. and they are the only burn center here in the bay area counties. we want to thank them for all the work they are doing. they have many patients that they see every day. all of the doctors as well. all the staff here at the hospital, thank you for what you do everyday. for the holidays, do not overload extension cords, turn off holiday lights before you go to bed. never leave candles unattended,

especially around the christmas tree. water trees daily so that they do not dry out. recycle your tree. do not put them in the fireplace. keep charged fire extinguishers in central locations. thank you all very much. we hope everybody has a safe holiday season. [applause] >> thank you. next, i would like to induce a woman that really needs no introduction, our own fire chief, joanne. >> thank you for being here, everyone. this is the fifth annual christmas tree lighting, different from other lighting, but just as important. we want to show you that holidays can be safe for us all, however, a tree can quickly

go up in flames and cause damage to property and lives. i want to thank st. francis medical center for partner with us every year. the care that they have for each and every patient walking through the door is amazing. the burn center does great work for people who are burned, either through fire or scald injuries. it is the holiday season and we want to ensure a happy holiday season, so we have this demonstration for you. we want to make sure during the holidays you do not leave those candles unattended. certainly, you want to keep those trees hydrated, as they can cause great damage. i want to thank engine company 38 for coming out to provide the vigil. we have the fire chief battalion here with us. once again, have a healthy and

happy christmas, holiday season, and 2011. thank you very much. >> next from st. francis memorial hospital burns center, we have our medical doctor. >> thank you everyone for coming here this morning. i also want to thank assemblywoman mauck for being here this morning. i also want to thank the wonderful firefighters that keep our city safe. as we celebrate this holiday season come as a reminder from the st. francis memorial hospital burn center, we would like you to keep your family's safe and free from fire. take a moment to think about the safety warnings and please take care of your family. this time of year, we see

increases in the incidence of structural fires, especially in spalding's. make sure you check your christmas trees, that they are well hydrated, and with the kids, make sure that they are well guarded from dangers, including candles. we want to wish you a very safe holiday season from here at st. francis. thank you very much. [applause] >> okay, we are going to let the burning begin. our fire department personnel will keep us safe. they will be letting the tree as well. -- lighting the tree as well.

>> now we are going to show you just how quickly this tree can be engulfed in flames. you can imagine most of these trees are placed in areas with lots of furniture. you can see how quickly it can like anything that is combustible around it, such as drapery, furniture, and other things.

so within 90 seconds, the tree is entirely burned. as i said before, a lot of times, it will catch furniture, clothing, draperies, so we want to make sure that you keep your tree watered daily. that tree was fully engulfed within 30 seconds. you can see the kind of damage that that can cause to property. just a reminder -- visuals are good -- that we need to keep ourselves safe over the holiday

season. thank you again to engine 38. [applause] >> thank you to all of you for coming. we will be back again next year. if any of the news media has questions for any of the individuals, they are available for comment. thank you. >> in this fabulously beautiful persidio national park and near golden gate and running like a scar is this ugly highway. that was built in 1936 at the

same time as the bridge and at that time the presidio was an army and they didn't want civilians on their turf. and the road was built high. >> we need access and you have a 70 year-old facility that's inadequate for today's transportation needs. and in addition to that, you have the problem that it wasn't for site extenders. >> the rating for the high viaduct is a higher rating than that collapsed. and it was sapped quite a while before used and it was rusty before installed.

>> a state highway through a federal national park connecting an independently managed bridge to city streets. this is a prescription for complication. >> it became clear unless there was one catalyst organization that took it on as a challenge, it wouldn't happen and we did that and for people to advocate. and the project has a structural rating of 2 out of 100. >> you can see the rusting reinforcing in the concrete when you look at the edges now. the deck has steel reinforcing that's corroded and lost 2/3's of its strength. >> this was accelerated in 1989

when the earthquake hit and cal came in and strengthened but can't bring to standards. to fix this road will cost more than to replace. and for the last 18 years, we have been working on a design to replace the road way, but to do in a way that makes it appropriate to be in a national park and not army post. >> i would say it's one of the most ugly structure, and it's a barrier between the mar sh and presidio. and this is a place and i brought my dogs and

grandchildren and had a picnic lunch and it was memorable to use them when we come here. what would it look like when the design and development is completed. and we are not sure we want an eight lane highway going through this town. and it's a beautiful area in a national seaport area on the planet. >> the road is going to be so different. it's really a park way, and it's a parkway through the national park. and they make the road disapeer to the national park. >> and the road is about 20 feet lower, normally midday, you go through it in two minutes. looking back from the golden

gate bridge to presidio, you are more aware of the park land and less of the roads. and the viaduct will parallel the existing one and to the south and can be built while the existing one remains in operation. and the two bridges there with open space between them and your views constantly change and not aware of the traffic in the opposite direction and notice the views more. and the lanes of course are a foot wider than they are today. and they will be shoulders and if your car is disabled, you can pull off to the edge. and the next area, the tunnel portal will have a view centered on the palace of fine arts and as you come out, you can see alkatrez island and bay.

and the next area is about 1,000 feet long. and when you come into one, you can see through the other end. it's almost like driving through a building than through a tunnel. and noise from the roadway will be sheltered. and the traffic will be out of view. >> when you come out of the last sort tunnel and as you look forward, you see the golden dome of the palace of fine arts and what more perfect way to come to san francisco through that gateway. >> it will be an amazing transformation. now you read it as one section, the road is a major barrier and then a wonderful strip along the water. all of those things are going to mesh together. >> right now the road really

cuts off this area from public access. and with the new road, we will be able to open up the opportunity in a new way. >> this bunker that we see now is out of access for the general public. we are excited to completely rework this side and to open up the magnificent views. and what we want to do is add to this wonderful amenity and restore this coastal bluff area and respect its military history and the doyle drive project is allowing us to do that recorrection. and this area is not splintered off. >> and we can see how dramatic

a change it will be when doyle drive is suppressd and you have a cover that connects the cemetery to this project. it's historic on the statewide and national basis, but you could rush the project or put thought and time to create something of lasting public benefit. >> we really want this, for everyone to feel like it's a win situation. whether you are a neighbor that lives nearby or a commuter or user of the park. that everyone will experience a much better situation than they currently have. >> the human interest to me is how people could work out so many challenging differences to come to a design that we believe will give us a jewel. landmark of a place. >> i am sure it will have

refining effect like embark did. and there were people about that and no one would think of that today. and when you look at growth and transformation of the embark, the same with doyle. it will be a cherished part of the city and a worthy addition to what is there. >> it will be a safe and beautiful entrance to a spectacular beautiful city. it will be the entry to golden gate that san francisco deserves.