>> sure. my cfo jogged my division. we are an ems did i rigs and he has a higher level of training and he's a pair met. he has approximately 250 and 350 paramedics. they have to have a paramedic license. there's eight excludeing me. one, appropriately over the ems division and i have a chief that maintains a license and my chief at the airport is a paramedic. everyone on the command staff has the emt certification. >> because it says -- >> what page? >> it's in there, executive

summary on eight, which is biii. fwl thank you. >> in the last paragraph, it just says a total of 38 and this is from the budget and legislative analyst, a total of 38 command staff hasn't been trained, ems, yet through promotions they're charged with supervise are paramedic staff. on that's why -- that particular statement was cause for concern. you're telling me they all have an ems certificate which is different from what this statement says. >> having an emt certificate is significant. it means you have that life support skill and ability

sdmrchlt it's for the department since 1989. >> there's less than five percent who don't have the ems certificate. the paramedic that has a higher level of training, they're being supervised by people that don't are that same level of training. in the ems division, there's a paramedic supervisor and chief, and there are paramedics overseeing their colleagues who are paramedics and yeah. i can read verbatim a statement they wrote. the ambulance personnel do receive the support from h 33 captains. they're all paramedics trained. is it the captain who has the responsible

of personnel. station 49, the status work location is also staffed. i did okay. >> okay. thank you, chief. >> so i'm going to allow supervisor chiu to we are question and we'll open up to public comment. the planning will be achieved supervisor had to leave and what your thoughts are. hopefully we see you. but how does this succession happen

up and down the department. so certainly, one of the many role of the fire chief is make sure we're looking forward. we have been challenged for that. when you stepped out of the room, i talked about a loss of resources both uniform to take analytical looks at what our department is going to look at 2025. >> certainly we would love to have and we'll ask for the restoration to address the issues in the audit. >> so you're saying you'll be able to do this in short order.

>> given the situation we're in, we have to do strategic planning and succession planning and more planning with what little budget we have, so i do appreciate the constraints and thinking of how we can be supportive but the fact of the matter is i don't see the picture changing that much and the fact that we've been able to get the fire academy classes, that's where we want to spend new dollars but again, what i hope doesn't happen when i read in this report that are despite recommendations over the past ten years, the fire

department didn't have strategic plans. whatever we can do, that would be helpful. >> supervisor tang. >> last chief, before i open up to public comment. there's some changes in the department that need to be addressed and there's a command staff responsible for assisting you in making sure those issues are addressed properly. i'd like to see -- i reviewed your response and reviewed hr response, but i like to see a clear plan. i like to see a clear plan as to how we're going to address these particular issue regardless of whether or not we dispute them. there's a clear issue and i'd like to see us figure out and not always attach dollars to the solution, but this is what our plans are for succession and strategic planning. this is what we recommend to get to that point, this is how

much we would need in order to do it effectively for years to come and this is what we're asking the board to provide us with and let us open the dialogue up with clear solutions of what it would take to get us to a point where we can support the department because we do have some challenges. we do have some concerns and i realize in one of the things that dr. keller mentioned, 200-something folks are happy because they were able to promote --

>> what that means in going into the neighborhoods and making sure we're being fair about the recruitment process because if we're going to look at changes and the way we make it xabl to the public, the recruitment process is an ongoing thing and there are, like, for example, this list of a lot of great organization that's we have is definitely a great tool to start with, but what can we do to enhance the outreach efforts in those particular areas for recruitment for opportunities to allow folks the opportunity to take this new testing mechanism, so based on the things that the department is

already planning to do, what are we doing to look at the report objectively and not necessary whether we agree or not, address what the issues are of the report, the corrective action of the report so that we're clear about the policy, we're clear about adding additional information or secondary criteria or what have you as it relate to the job announcement. what i'm looking for is how are we going to make the changes necessary to make things better. based on the challenges, the department created this testing mechanism, i get that, but there's other issues that relates to that so we can make sure the opportunity for working in the department is able to me. it's mg that i want to see that

we're doing a little bit more aggressive outreach in that particular regard as well as making the necessary changes to ems and a couple of the other things. i know we look at other departments and what they're doing, but we as san francisco should be setting the trends. >> i they we are. >> but i see the opportunities to get better, so i do appreciate that the efforts are being made, but at the same time, the lawsuits and other things that we deal with as members of the board, they're difficult to take because that means less money that we have less available for the things you need to do. in my mind, i'm thinking let's try to make it the best it can be and let's make sure we're clear and we have everything we

need in place and we're improving on those things on a regular basis to get to where we need to as a department and as a city to again when you're coming to us and saying, i need $5 million for x, y, z, we're saying -- >> the budget analyst asked. >> you're saying $11 million for ems based on my question and the response and based on what we need to do as a city to really provide the level of ems services in a way with equipment and we know that -- i don't know if you received your five new ambulances but it's clear we need new equipment in that area and we need to make sure we have enough staffing in order to address the issues not just locally in response times but to get to the 80 percent required by the state. there's a lot of challenges and need and i want to make sure we're moving in that direction and we

need to develop a plan to get us to where we need to go, so that's what i'm looking for. >> thank you. >> okay. now, we're going to open it up to public comment. are there any members of the public that wish to speak or comment? come on. >> good afternoon, i think. commissioners, i mean supervisors. thank you for allowing me to speak here. i know my time is limited, but -- >> you want to tell us who you are. >> yes. my name is kevin smith and i'm president of the san francisco black firefighters and i hold the rank as a chief in the san francisco fire department. as i said, i like to comment on the audit. i want to thank the committee for conducting the audit and the team that put it together.

i think it highlighted several issues that be improved on. i want to improve on how the fire department conducts business and how they do recruitment and testing. just to touch on recruitment, our organization has noted that recruitment needs to be targeted so we can get a diverse pool, you you have to start young and get the candidates when they're young, when they're in school and have them build up because this is a career that you need to prepare for. in regard to testing, there's problems with testing. we firmly believe and i think it was proved in court, you know, even though that was an age discrimination case before the judge can allow an award, they had to prove that the test was

invalid. we need to use best practices. there's some problems with the answer key being developed at the aim time. but there's other ways conducting a test. we do think we have some answers or in suggestions for the dhr, fire department to conduct exam in the future and i would look forward to haring those dialogues. >> it would be helpful if you share that would be helpful. >> any other members of the public who would like to peak. >> good afternoon supervisors. my name jerry cooper. i like

to thank the board and the budget analyst office for bringing to light the problems in the fire department. i like to keen in on one area which we discussed already which was the prevision of the emergency services to you're community and citizens here in san francisco. as we were discussing, the fire department is able to serve 72 percent of ambulance request. 43 out of our total fire stations have a paramedic within their community in san francisco on their fire apparatus. as we were discussing earlier and in audit report, over 9,000 calls to date have been logged without an ambulance that's been able to be sent at the time of the emergency. granted, most

of those calls did have a firefighter ems or firefighter on that emergency. our department today is under funded, under staffed and under equipped to handle our current volume and the volume going forward for emergency medical care and fire request. if woor looking at fire practices, we must put together a plan to address this shortage that continues to occur day after day. thank you. >> thank you. any other members of the public would like to make public comment. speak now or forever hold your peace. with that, public comment is closed. again, thank you all so much for being here today. i know this was a very hard conversation to have and we will continue this dialogue. this is extremely important to our city and as a former member of the

commission, i know this was a hard commission, but i've never seen more dedicated men and women in this city work harder to save lives and to do all the things that they do throughout our city to protect folks in san francisco. i truly feel safe being in their hands and i do want to make sure that we're continuously doing all we can to make the department the best department in the entire country. and so with that, we are looking forward to hearing the recommendations of what's to come around changes to the department and we're looking forward to hearing recommendations from the various groups and the challenges they face and we'll continue to have this dialogue to move the didn't forward and making sure their voices are heard. is there is a move

to continue. >> this item is moved. >> madam clerk, any further business. >> no further business. >> okay. this meeting is a your honored. djourned. thank you very you very much.

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playground? i'm not sure which. thanks to the 2008 parks funds, where you're standing is the home and all of you san francisco voters gave a $20 million investment in this neighborhood. i was born and raised four blocks from where we stand today. i came and played in this park, on the equipment, in the you know what i mean you know jim gym and structure today. >> to make this a park that everybody can enjoy, a diversity that would show the city that this is what san francisco is all about. >> what we got here is 3,000 new square feet of places for people to be healthy and be

active and the community to gather. >> if you see /kaelly's mural in the building, there cannot be an imagery that's more related to this place. what people told us about what the importance of the windmills and the green houses and the flowers that used to be grown here and the wind, let's not forget the wind. >> we have to continue to invest in our city's infrastructure and creating new. this is a recreation center for the 21st century and for the 21st century communities. >> we finally made something after somebody that everybody needs and this is the park. (music) >> herb theatre,open rehearsal.

listen to the rehearsal. i think it is fun for them, they see our work process, our discussions, the decisions we make. it is good for us. we kind of behavior little bit when we have people in the audience. msk (music) >> we are rehearsing for our most expensive tour; plus two concerts here. we are proud that the growth of the orchestra, and how it is expanded and it is being accepted. my ambition when i came on as music director here -- it was evident we needed absolutely excellent work.

also evident to me that i thought everyone should know that. this was my purpose. and after we opened, which was a spectacular opening concert about five weeks after that the economy completely crashed. my plan -- and i'm absolutely dogmatic about my plans --were delayed slightly. i would say that in this very difficult timefor the arts and everyone, especially the arts, it's phenomenal how new century has grown where many unfortunate organizations have stopped. during this period we got ourselves on national radio presence; we started touring, releasing cds, a dvd.

we continue to tour. reputation grows and grows and grows and it has never stopped going forward. msk(music) >> the bay area knows the orchestra. you maybe take things for granted a little bit. that is simply not the case will go on the road. the audiences go crazy. they don't see vitality like this on stage. we are capable of conveying joy when we play. msk(music) >> any performance that we do, that a program, that will be something on the program that you haven't heard before. string orchestra repertoire is pretty small. i used to be boxed into small repertoire.

i kept constantly looking for new repertoire and commissioning new arrangements. if you look at the first of the program you have very early, young vibrant mendelson; fabulous opener and then you have this fabulous concerto written for us in the orchestra. is our gift. msk(music) >> and then you have strauss, extraordinary piece. the most challenging of all. string orchestra work. 23 solo instrument, no violin section, now viola section; everybody is responsible for their part in this piece.

the challenge is something that i felt not only that we could do , absolutely could do, but i wanted to show off. i can't tell you how aware i am of the audience. not only what i hear but their vibes, so strong. i have been doing this for a long time. i kind of make them feel what i want them to feel. there is nobody in that audience or anywhere that is not going to know that particular song by the fourth note. and that is our encore on tour. by the way.

i am proud to play it, we are from san francisco. we are going to play that piece no matter where we are.