the fire commission meetings june 28 the time is 5:01. this meeting is in person. members may attend to observe and provide public comment in the fizz cam location or calling 415-554-0001. access code: 2594 140 5524 ##.

speak clearly and turn off background sounds. wait for the item. then press star 3 to be added to the queue. silence notify you when you are in line. callers will hear silence when waiting to speak. operator will unmute you. callers will have 3 machines to provide commentful you may watch live at sfgov.org. item 1 roll call. president nakajo. >> [inaudible] [cannot hear]. i see them on my web 6.

i'm here. vice president morgan. >> present. >> commissioner feinstein. >> present. >> commissioner fraser. >> present. >> commissioner collins. >> present. chief nicholson. >> present. >> [cannot hear]. i will contact them now.

president nakajo will read the land acknowledgment.

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. madam secretary. >> item 2 general public commentful members may address the commission up to 3 minutes in the commission's jurisdiction that does not appear on the agenda. speakers shall address remarks and not to individual

commissioners or department personnel. commissioners are not to enter in debate or discussion with the speaker. the lack a responsibles by the commissioners or upon department personal does not institute agreement with or support statements made during public comment. >> anyone in the public on our virtual and present that wants to give public comment >> there is nobody approaching and nobody on our public upon comment line. >> public comment is closed. >> item 3. approval of the minutes discussion and possible action to approve the regular meeting minutes of june 14, 2023. is there a member of the public on this? and if not -- there is nobody approaching the podium ownership nobody on the comment line. >> public comment is close

the. we'll need an approval of the minutes. please? i new. >> thank you very much. >> president nakajo. >> aye. >> vice president morgan. >> aye. >> commissioner collins. >> [inaudible]. >> report from the chief of department on activities and events in the department since the meeting on june 14, 2023. including budget other academy, special events, communication and out roach to government agencies and the public and report from operations. deputy chief postel over all field operations including greater alarm fires. fire prevention and investigation. training and airport division. >> thank you very much.

good evening chief nicholson. >> good evening. thank you president nakajo and vice president morganful commissioner feinstein and fraser and staff and hello to president of 798 who is here. we have a fire in progress. over on haight street. haight and steiner. anyway. let me get back to the business at hand. >> upon chief department this is my report since our commission meeting on june 14th. >> continue to the juneteenth celebration and pride events throughout the month. but -- really importantly and mark is here to answer questions

you may have is got through our budget hearings. presented on june 16th. we worked with the budget analyst throughout the next week. and came to an agreement by june 23rd. they wanted 1.3 million dollars in cuts from us. and we were able to only cut 4 eighty-four,000. i think we did really well this year considering the challenges. prosecute not guilty staechl the mayor sought importance of public safety and the fire department. as did the budget mittee. special so i'm proud of -- our team and pleased. of course wield love more money but we understand the reality now. -- labor management. am we continue a collaborative

rep with them. i said president floyd raulins is here. weave continue our transition with cd2 and 3. chief postel and chief tom o o'connor and chief shane. more on this in a moment. so, av have been in the news of late. and that's a good thing. because somebody listening to us. i interviewed the l.a. times. nbc bay yafrment cnn, cbs l.a. market watch. watch watch post and -- whensoever else might sexual harassment what did happen is that the california puc delayed

the vote on the. autonomous vehicle expansion. it was supposed to be today or tomorrow? and it is now delayed until the 13th. so, in the meanwhile time, working to try to get you know the engineering and policy folks from these autonomous vehicle companies to work with our operations teams. it is super important we have seen many issues with them and many challenges and so i theme this pause button hit by the puc is not just for show but that is you know we are we made progress with -- these autonomous vehicle companies but we'll see. the proof is in the pudding. our 132nd academy on monday.

i addressed them with chief prosecute upon tong. class of 58. so -- i think they're thrall on the third day. knock on wood. >> so. what else? we had a dei recruitment meeting this week with chief beaufort and other folks on recruitment strategies. and yesterday -- hrc convened a department head moteoth racial equity priorities. i attended with chief beaufort and julie mau they had us as one of the 3 departments to present to everyone. what our efforts have been and how successful they have been as a model for others. we are pleaseed do that.

>> yesterday the board of supervisors honored our members for the response to shooting. on in the mission. where 9 people were shot. 24th and folsom in that neighborhoods. and -- just how well our members did and they also -- they also honored the police department and -- those that responded. we had a few members there. to hear that from supervisor ronen and -- they each got -- of they received a little certificate and their photo taken after. it is nice for members to get honors and we don't do it for

that but they did an extraordinary job our paramedics and emt on ambulance and rescue captain and folks on engines the truck and battalion chief did an sproord job off the scene within 20 minutes of our arrival that is phenomenonal. will nobody died. result.

sunday the breakfast with mayor proceed, nancy pelosi was there and as well as -- other political and local people. and -- was a really nice break fast to just socialize and see people and then we all -- many of us in -- and -- including the command staff marched in the pride parade. it was i had funnel looked like some of you all had fun and it was -- it went off limp it was a win for the city. i would say the parade was -- so that's good news. um -- come then -- tonight is

the last what rafor chief postel he was hoping the fire would be something but here he still sits! it has been a dry season for furious of late. last for chief postel and chief o o'connor is not presenting this is his last commission meeting as limp i want toful thank them for all the work they have done over the years for this department both as firefighters, labor, and as management. i think you all have helped lead the department in a better place than when you found it. i'm proud to have worked with you and i'm grateful that you jumped on board the train. and -- so -- you will be missed

especially your humor. shane and darius, step up and but -- yea. i just have appreciated you both so much and congratulations. and i know that you will have plenty to do out there. so. that concludes my report. >> thank you very much, chief of department for your r. [applause] the is this time is there public comment off the report? >> is nobody approaching and nobody on the comment line. >> all right. public comment is closed. commissioners, comments or questions to the chief of the department at this time. >> chiefism have one.

in terms of director corso is here. i want to congratulate the department and yourself and everybody nels terms of the involvement of the budget prove. in orbit cooperation we cut 4 eighty-four,000ful is that what it is. >> 484,000 out of 511 million. >> and just to share where did we cake that cut from. >> accept up. please. he can -- you know tell you this back and forward. you are welcome. director. >> good evening. mr. president and commissioners and chief am mark corso we did were able to come to an agreement with the analyst and

settled upon 484,000 reduction majority for attrition savings and a bit on the expense side on sedan purchases that should not have impact as the chief mentioned we are fortunate to make it without budget reduction. we were not granted marine enhancements but able to keep our emergency in tact status quo and the budget process as well we were. i don't anticipate reductions impacting our operations. >> okay yoochl what was our total allingcasion we were budgeting this year? >> the total was -- 511 million, 768,000 >> part of a 2 year budget and deal with next year's budget on

a different framework >> correct this . is the first year a 2 year budget process and rolling 2 year budget process. i will caveat the discussion in general which should wrap up on early august. our efforts focus on the next year immediately we recognize tell be a challenging fiscal environment and also in advance of next year's process. thank you mr. corso and the date in august being accepted and we can move on. questions or comments for the director at this time. >> thank you >> thank you. >> in terms of the presentation. next is chief postel. good eaching president nakajo

and vice president morgan. commissioner fine tiebreaker fraser, collins. chief, department postel department chief of operations, until tomorrow. >> this is my report. for operations for the month may. a residential high rise building the fire on the second floor. couple of people trapped due to the volume and the reports of trespassed people in the building in addition to we had a couple victim who is jumped from the second floor to escape the fire. asked the second alarm which was wise not only a high rise they had evacuation of victims. it turned out the fire was

contains to the unit of origin. search people were evacuated. and 3 were transport. one for motor vehicle and 2 for trauma from jumping. the chief was the commander at this 5. second was a second, lateral on may 22nd at 3535 california. commissioner feinstein i think you are familiar. this fire presented with a lot of potential for growth. we have a large strip mall stereotype structure and you have inspect businesses with a large common attic the fire started it was an in between the exterior and insterrior wall. the electrical sign got fire going and ran up and running to the attic.

if that fire gets in the attic you will lose that shopping center. quick thinking by chief circumstantialos. recognized the potential when this could grow into. upon requested a second alarm right, way. the quick actions by the crews special coordination with open happening the wall and the attic. another ins debt is a water rescue on may 29th this was candlestick point engine 17 and truck 17 dispatched report people in distress.

engine 17 and station 17 does not have rescue training or wet suits nothing for that type of response. when they got on scene they were pointed to where the victims were in the water. there was 3 victims plus one civilian gone out to assistment 800 meters off shore. lieutenants were the 2 there. they quickly made a plan. directored the people firefighters on shore. how to keep eyes on the victims in the water and the swimmers. the same time, lieutenant stewart and firefighter broward fire department swimmers but did not have wet suits. rushed in the water and swam 800 meters to get the people they found the children and asdpult a samaritan. broward swam the 2 children to shore and the others took the

good samaritan who was having difficult out there. after the sfpd marine unit showed and up put the people on their boat. we had the rescue boat from the airport firefighter and the fire boats. again of i want to talk. the quick actions the selfless thinking. can the crews on this day resulted in the saving of 4 lives. no other way to describe this. it can't be under stated and represents what san francisco firefighters do every single day. we get it doneful we don't make excuse. put our live on the line and every situation you mandelman to save those people. dp sacrifice ourselves must never be taken for granted. this is what lies at the core of the people in the san francisco fire department. i think this -- event epitomizes

that. you heard me in reports in the past describe ins debt bunkham praise the crews. i want to take this last opportunity top do so againful the men and welch sfpd on the front lines making it seem ordinary. the firefighters, lieutenant and captains make the upon difference and deliver these results every single day. i always said and my father and i argued about this. that without firefighters, we have no chiefs without chiefs wield still have firefighters. it behoofs every chief to keep them in their mind. people making things happen temperature is the chiefs who keep things organized and people safe am i want to thank our chiefs. keep our members safe and the

extremely dangerous situations empower upon everyone in their command to take actions and make decisions that save lives and property. fire up on haight street. this was an old turn of the century type 5 wood frame building and they got on the scene and had 5 on the grounds and rear and back and burned up through the walls and getting in the attic. we were look at the report and canning here we govern no. they got on the roof and the top floor and the second and grounds floor and had homeses and stopped temperature account be a third or fourth alarm to a nothing events. it is what we do every day. ac's have effectively worked together as a team. i mean the civics them. the first time in a long time in the history of the fire department. they were all working together. providing predictable leadership

and moved the department forward in a positive way. working with the of chiefs and reenforce our system of firefighting and ensured lessons are not lost and are paddleod to those here today. i want to give a thank you to each baker, thompson, yee and rash the 6, cystant chiefs they make it happen every day in the field i thank them. and i want to thank every mfbt firefighter for all they do every day to serve the people in the great city. so. you all know my passion for suppression and how i feel about this. but everybody else who work in this department plays just as significant role. i want to talk about that before i g. sometimes i can talk for, while youville to listen to me. rather than statistics in the report and everything we- i want to talk more about the last 18

months i have been department chief and what i benched in the successes of each of the ad c's. i start with fire prevention investigation. our fire marshall is a dedicated, hard working leader. vision for the bureau of fire prevention resulted in the fire department a lead and example for other department when is it come to implementing housing. permit approval and a way to do more with left am every mayoral directive and resolution and hot top that i can come up in the city seems to go through brewo of fire prevention. rarely dom they come with additional staffing. and in spite that they find a way to make it happen and make us look good and that's because of ken and his leadershipful whether the mta with street changes.

the shared space. road closures. accessory dwelling. fest vas. marijuana facilities they are handled by fire prevention this is in addition to the inspections and other work they have to do. >> they have a tremendous work load. the bureau of fire investigation. investigate the suspicious fires. fires with injury s and greater alarms. they are our members but also peace officers we take the unit near granted. but not long ago they were so under staffed hay years backlog instead investigation reports we were luck tow have one person a day to respond to these. hopefully this change the for the bfrment i like to at this upon point, upon note my grand father jab leafy was a firefighter. a police officer before he became a firefighter. of and he was one of the original members and built and

developed the arson task force. asked by chief mur tow take that role. i have a special spot in my heart for people in arson. any how. the report you have lists the staff and everything from fire prevention. it does not illustrate the w this is accomplished there and kerngs i thank you for your professionalism. your upon endless knowledge of the code specials what goes on down well and i gotta say i never asked you a question you did in the have an answer to which you know that stuff inside and out and you are a professional there. thank you. to the airport. the airports a city on itself. chief darcy is the fire chief for that city fire department there responsibilities include budget, facility design,

marinesing apparatus and procurement. train with faa, ems. high level aaron officials and other city officials. faa officials the not only that responsible for training with and coordinating responsibles to the emergencies that happen there not only has to train with san francisco but with san mateo fire departments and amr. he's got a lot going on. in is chief of the airport. i think one time and may be the case our fire department in the airport is the biggest fire department in the san mateo county. chief darcy dwhan a lot thought impossible. prior to him take over moral, recruitment was a problem and work norse in

unhappy ness and discord. sort of they were sort adrift. chief dares turned the tide downful he is over seeing. providing leadership and trained and happier this is result of his leadershipful the support he gets plays a role. upon his predictability parallels with the assistant chiefs in the city and result have been similar. this did not happen pat was there but i want to touch temperature when the plane crash happened i watched with pride. the way we attacked that never a plane crash seen firefighters ladder the upon complaint lead hose line in and make rescues.

that was not tauchlt in the aftermath, we were second guessd and criticized by people around the country. our pai way is the standardful like the way we fight building fires that is the way we to it there and goes back to who we are and our remember core values and what we do as a san francisco firefighter. people at the airport made me proud. pat and you at the airport make me proud. thank you for everything you do there. >> diing vision of training is where all of the complex piece of the puzzle put together and fine tune it to make sure search prepared and operating and playing from the same she felt music and safe as we can be.

>> i continuing is fair to say that may be shane had reservations about work for me had he found out he was move to operation. it has been -- a good relationship and you know i'm not shy about telling people how i think operations should be going and i'm not i deponent favor. understand our system in our manuals and rule book and important that system we have is braced and shane has done that took 32 years of learning anding our system for me to get to where i woman it and i want to

pass on that knowledge to everyone through training and shane helped me get what doneful upon whoonld was needd and great about changing the train to reflect san francisco's way of operating p. he accomplish third degree and brought new energy and understanding of technology to deliver training to the kids who don't like to do it the way we used to which got through to them with videos and very successful. so. among of mate concollusion 131st academy they graduated in their field and on their way to careers. i want top thank the chief for work and commitment to the system. through him i reinforce how we fight firesch one more pinch

want to pout here not a mfbt command staffment that is bureau of communication. not a command staff level position but he should be the amount of work he does there. a work for mow in every asspecific our jobs. not only manage the daily xhungsz he worked with demo evaluating and selecting a new computer aided dispatch system that will serve us for a decade to come. a radio system given you to substandards and did not meet our needs and worked with engineers and made this system usable and anymore done a good job the things he's done for us are used for other departments around the country and people are coming to matt to find out. jury room he is constantly work

to make things better. solicits input from the fields. finds the weaknesses and improvements that lead to a reliable radios and the changes he made will save lives. on top of that. he is always there when things go side ways. the storms on new combreers in march. and 2 day out outage failure. matt drops everything and will be up there 18 hours on end. understands what needs to be done. selflessly respondeds and takes care of business. when he goes to work. he did not bring an ego. he is an example to sxefrn i want to thank matt. he is not here but thank him for everything he is the unsung hero in this administration. finally, chief i want to thank you for having faith in me and giving me this opportunity an honor and pleasure to serve the

fire department. i would not change a minute of it. >> dar yuchls you are well prepared and ready for this challenge. i'm a phone call away if you need smug know. finally on behalf the postelful family i thank the city of san francisco and san francisco fire department for everything this you have given you to we are indebted this fire department and city i'm honord and proud and thankful that concludes my final report. thank you very much, chief postel. [applause].

nice job. chief am beautiful yoochlt at this point commissioners or let me do the public first simple there public comment on the report. i don't see anybody approaching and there is nobody on our comment line. >> thank you are madam secretary. public comment is closed. commissioners, commissioner fraser. >> i will be fast. no need to be fast vice president morgan. >> this evening excellent r. chief postel and we'll miss your expertise and your knowledge and leadership and around here. and we'll miss you were sense of humor, too. [laughter] you are the man and chief o'connor. a great report. it was inspire to hear about the

rescues especially candlestick. you know the guys and too bad they never found the good samaritan tried until he cold that bay water was thank god he was okay, too >>ed have been bad. >> seemed like were they being carried out by the under current >> fell out of a kayak and the current was drifting them. they did have life jackets on. okay. buff they, that water is cold and you get hype thermia quick. >> i imagine. could have been a bad situation. >> right >> they were heros that day. >> they deserve medals for that. i have a quick. i was read nothing here. about that same situation. the launched the kayaks from the shore and wearing pfd, personal

floatation devicech >> okay. i was curious. i was trying to figure that out. this amation rescue especially 800 meters out >> they went quite an aways. that's amazing. that explains all the great train pregnant it is worth it. and you are constantly train and doing the different training situations offering to the members which is great. and here the situation like this it pace off. you know. so -- i want to thank you for your great report and the other fires -- 3535 california. that was good for them to contain that building. great work. i'm sure your leadership was a part of that and i appreciate you, admiring your colleagues

and support like that. selfless act and that is a testament what time purn. they dot work. >> yea. >> it was nice work with youing, sir. >> enjoy your retirement. >> i'm sure will miss our meetings you can watch. i will watch tuesday at home. >> right you can check us out >> wednesday. >> i will log on tuesday. [laughter]. thanks. >> thank you very much the vice president morgan. commissioner feinstein. >> thank you. chief, for not just your fine report and excellent writing style. and the mooum humor i think we all experienced coming to the

meetings. they are greatly appreciated. i stop thinking and native san francisco what you are saying about the san francisco fire department. and [inaudible] [no mic] 100.

and you were asked to go up there and said, no you were not going to do it. and you think i -- you know i

think there was a lame excuse, frankly but -- [inaudible] [cannot hear speaker]. colleagues from your academy class. [inaudible]. on the he'lls of commissioner morgan >> i'm not talking about

commissioner morgan now we are focused on you. cloegz. and. show is closing here. with a new show. a hundred years prior the of first, postel member came in the san francisco fire department. and it was quite a poignant moment when you think about the years of service your family has given. to us. to the citizens. to other members of the d. and -- it is just something i'm

really going to always remember. i'm going to miss being able to call you. will to ask you questions. you know like what is wrong with all the elevators. what is going on with different things. you are just i need you to know that -- i personal low hold you in the highest regard. you have been served us so well and been a very strong commanding leader with a real heart of compassion. and your being here it is your absence i guess i should sail be noted by all. i look forward to receiving your further contact information.

don't try to avoid that i will track you down. but you -- leave the department. better than you found it. and that's all of us can hope to achieve in life. i wish all the best in your retirement. i hope you find new hobbies and use your time to spends with your family. and you know they say 30 in and 30 out. for you i think 32. am i correct? >> 32 in and 32 out. enjoy the last 32 as much as you have enjoyed the first 32 and thank you for your service on behalf awful us. for always being there it is much appreciated and congratulations.

>> thank you very much. thank you very much. commissioner fine stievenl commissioner fraser >> thank you. [cannot hear speaker] [no mic]

the greater was really touched me and i will take those with me. and i think you made mow not only you made the fire department better you made me a better commissioner i thank you for that. thank you. thank you for all you have done as well. yea. [laughter]. no worries. thank you very much. commissioner collins. chief postel i'm glad our time over lapped. . seemsure leaving as i'm arriving. . i want to thank you for will the tours of the fire house. as machine who spent career building, buildings. i was appalled at much of what i saw. and the continues under which

some firefighters are operating valiantly. i know that thank you for showing me that. i promise you i'm not forand will continue to under wise direction advocate for better facilities. it is insufficient. its just not representative of the valiant service of the members of this department of the that was the right thing to show me. [laughter]. if the right thing to show me. and taco tuesday will remain forever at in my brain. that and my fire department hat so far are just as goods as it gets. i want to thank you. as you leave you know you may no

longer be an official employee of the department but i know i can tell that you will always bean advocate. i think it is in your blood. so. >> it is since the day i was born. >> that's what i get that senseful thank you very much. and as commissioner fraser said, i learned a lot from you. and promise they will continue to advocate for many things but e specially better conscience for our members. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. commissioner collins. before i say my remarks out of respect chief o'connor is present. chief nic soin would like to ask chief connor come up after. i want to say thank you personal low and professionally.

everyou made me a better commissioner if terms of the oversight and taking care of business. a thrill for mow to serve with you and it is important as you conclude your career that i am able to salute and you thank you for your service. with that, i like to get cd3 up here chief nicholson and i do have a comment in terms of your report i wanted to cover that i have not covered before. at this point, thank you very much, chief. you want to make ape comment. i spoke about my reports but i had 2 great partners with sand and he tom. sandy was my therapist at times. tom was my friends a door, way the door between our office opened and closed 25 times a day. it has been a wonderful team that the 4 of us the 3 of us had and i'm really proud of how we

worked together. and the support am you gave me and hopefully i to you. thank you. >> thank you other chief postel. good even. >> good even. tom connor soon to be d. administration. and these are my final words. if you know me luknow i have been an employee add vo katd for decades now. i'm going nay different direction and make one last ask. for the employees of the san francisco fire department. i spoke at length for a few commissions about our cancer screening. and i spoke about the good work

of the firefighters have done and i thought it was probably the most powerful moments i had i extend them test to coworkers and look out for health and well knows. it is time went on. it resonated with me that -- everything right with that day was wrong. in that. we should not rely on a foundation for health and wellness. should not go to the public and beg for funds to test ourselves to see if we'll be okay this spring we negotiated the municipal executive association. i asked for 25 thousand dollars to screen the command staff yearly for cancerful i got urine lip service we value your service and appreciate it but don't want to set president.

i thought ironic anything san francisco stands for is setting press devenlt sweeping the nation in all movements the fact that the san francisco firefighters cancer prevention foundation lead the nation in scientific research and advocacy and legislation surrounding cancer admit fire service. i can't emphasize that enough. we lead the charge for the ultimate study the proof that firefighter and cancer are linked. and during the negotiations the mediator came back and scoffed my 25 thousand dollars ask was turned down because he said a matter of budgetary dust. that 14 billion dollars was budgetary dust. and in san francisco we have a policy harm reduction. for drug addicts to make sure

that we preserve their life it it is a notable policy we have a vision zero for and the psyche lifts. but we need harm reduction for first. we need a vision zero for firefighters. in is where it turns personal. i'm an next san francisco firefighter to be diagnosed with cancer. second one i have the stitch in the my back and armpit when i negotiated the contract and turning me down for damageary dust now i have another cancer. i will be fine it is treatable. annoying as hell and whine about it but i will be fine. i want to ask of you, and advocate on behalf of the

firefighters. please pass a resolution ask be funding and injury low screening for firefighters and health. give us dignity and respect we give to the public with our health. in that, mr. president, will be my last words i was watching the will dead poet society and the scene where robin williams quotes the walt whitmachine people the meaning of life and finishes with, the powerful play goes on, so you may contribute a versech this has been might have verse. and i would like you to continue it going forward and advocate for the firefighters and their health the way they have stood up for everybody for years. thank you. [applause].

this upon chief conor. is there anything else beyond us return to the question i had with cd1? thank you very much for that chief o'connor. >> and the message and the advocacy. commissionersit return to cd1 report before we move on to item 5 over view and update on neighborhood emergency response teach thank you for your patience. in your report i failed to note that the discussion on driverless vehicles and the update on that decision moved. am i wanted to recognize the

person in [inaudible] and the letter written. there is discussion in terms of the commission. what we could do to have an immediate affect. i know that meeting might be reschedule. the latter part of july? right around corner. so if i can suggest, colleagues, perhaps when the commission write a letter forth width to the california pu c commission. so this it can be in the hands of the department and the chief. standing with our san francisco firefighters union. in terms of this issue. we are all concerned about. so if this is the case and we don't need a motion on a letter, a general consensus is appropriate. and i would ask our commission

secretary to work with the chief's office in terms of comprising a very short, direct letter. a. s. a. p. and that's what i would like to suggest. at this point. and ghaen is a letter, i checked about violation or other i'm suggest the prerogative as the president of the commission and see the favor. commissioners. >> okay. so. with that, chief nicholson. i'm going to ask our secretary to work with your staff to comprise the content of a

letter. that we send out. anything that we should do or i do need to correct or -- thank you very much. chief nicholson. at this point we'll conclude the reports from the chiefs. thank you again chief postel and o'connor. read item 5 >> can i just interrupt i believe there is public comment. on what i talked about? president raulins would like to comment. >> recognize president. good evening >> good evening, commissioners and chief. so in my public comment i will have to wear 2 hats. the first one on a personal note. the 2 gentlemen that stoot here and spoke are friends of mine. and i have known about tom for a while. buoy will start with bob. you know, i and have thing in my

mind prepared say buoy will not in the microphone. i will say that as a leader you did it your way. and you knead department better with your leadership. exclusive work this you did in that office and the short time that you were in there. and it was a pleasure working with you. and you left it better than you found it. it is appreciated. thank you, enjoy your retirement we will reach out to you. because i know you are not going anywhere. and the meetings are on wednesday not tuesday. so. and to tom, my friends. [laughter] i sat next to you for years you showed leadership and poise. and the one thing i have to say

about that is you like many know that my time in this position has not been a cake walk. but at every turn you have been a friend. you have been a confident and encourager. you have been there for me and i appreciate you. >> you enjoy your retirement and we'll be talking. >> and now i will stop with that portion i will put my hat on as the president of local 798. and i will say that the words that tom stood here and uttered, out to be played throughout the halls of city hall. because we don't need to hear anymore about how much people appreciate us and love us temperature is time to show it. we hear those words constant low the firefighters we represent want selfless low throughout the pandemic and every day wake up.

criminal to work. proudly they put the uniform on with poise and walk in the streets with the mission of serving the department. badge and the oath they swore to. and they do it with the sense of pride and poise that outa be celebrated every day. and i think there is no more simple request but no more heart felt and true requests. of that what tom said many who say thank you have not watched the scene as it was before when the firefighters had to walk into our fire houses while they were treated for cancer. and combed the page of the journal to write down the 100 fires they went to to prove what had been stated.

to prove what the world health organization stepped forward and state thered is a callal link with cancer and firefighting. we are blessed have the foundation we have and seat work that tony stefani stepped forward and said this he could not go to anymore funerals without doing something about it. and so as tom state here, and as should be done. we think that it is time for the lip service to stop and the action to start. and to hear when he endured during the negotiation time period. and called budgetary dust is an insult. i ask on behalf of the executive burden and every firefighter that come to work on a daily

basis and puts that uniform on, the commissioners, please, pass the resolution. go get this going. for too long we fought this fight and ton fight this fight. the affects this had on our department as it has cross the country are deal everyone is in this room has been to many funerals of someone who lost their life due to the skunk cancerful i echo the word tom stated and hope we can count on the commission to forward a resolution and get to work on make being sure that our found anticipation is supported in a way it should be and our members are supported in the pai way they should be in the work they do. i thank you all. for your time of conclude

opinion comment on this item and madam secretary i believe we are ready for item 5. >> call the item >> over view and you want on the neighborhood emergency response team. captain tom to provide an update and over view of nert in terms of what is gog with some remarks and the members as well. captain tom. >> good evening. president nakajo. upon vice president morgan,

commissioner feinstein. commissioner fraser, commissioner collins, chief nicholson and secretary maureen and the command staff. i'm brand 've brandon tom the nert program coordinator. thank you for the invitation to peek about the nert i want to thank chief nicholson and brown am. for the opportunity to be in this position. il have the privilege to be a mfbt fire department for the past 25 years. if is unbelievable how fast that thyme flies. i am a native to san francisco. and worked at all 44 fire houses in the city. i became a nert instructor in 2002. and it has been fulfill tog empower my fellow san franciscans with knowledge and traing training we provide.

i was a student at lowell high school and left football practice when the 89 quake hit this . lead to the gent cysts nert program. the marina district was the hardest hit. suffered major damage from dpiers is building collapse. volunteers helped to run fire hose from the boat to the pwss many hydrants had no water. 1990 citizens from the marina district persuade the upon fire department to start am a piplot training program. the fire department began to expand it to everyone in the city. since the first nert class of 24 in 1990, we have trained 35,000 upon citizen.

the gospel nert training to provide education on preparing for disaster. and the skills to help their neighborhood and the fire department in a disaster. >> preparing for a disaster is essential to surviving a disaster. the nerted program adopt friday an emergency training program from l.a. fd. in 1993 the program was recognized by fema. our nert program is the same as cert. we have kept the name, nert because we were the first programs but because as san franciscans we identify by the neighborhoods we represent. and ultimate lite neighbors that we help. neighbors helping neighbors is the building block for a strong city. fire department implemented plans for nert trained

volunteers to our disaster plan. nert has 2 main model. dot most good for the most people. >> nerts don't get hurt. we practice this at our citywide we have twice a year. one in april to commencement rit 1906 skwak and one in october for the 89 quake. nought numbers of the nert board. the nert board is made pickup of volunteers gone through the training oversight and guidance to the nert program to ensure best practice, safety and organizational goals met and upheld. they are, board president [inaudible].

secretary mackeen. board members lisa dunmire. chris martin. rebecca, linda ingraham. nathan, and [inaudible]. i now invite the neighborhood coordinator to continue the presentation. commissioners seeing new smile system great. the chief, a pleasure seeing you. i'm nathan. and i have been a member of the program for 14 years.

we are ready to help our neighbors if to make this leg a reality, we take 20 plus hours of fema standardized all hazzard training. helps the citizen volunteers prepared at home for earth quakes, fires and tornado so we can better support the fire department exterior this training details things like the incident command system and the basics like how to turn off gas or water if we have leaks in an event of a disaster. the san francisco fire department also offers nert community volunteers advanced training to diversify the way we help our community.

such as stop the bleed class. american heart association cpr training. along with going back to our roots. and teaching us how to assist the fire reserve in setting update water supply above ground hydrant system. leg twochl whole community preparedness. with this, we of provide out reach to bring disaster preparedness to all the citizens we can reach this summer nert volunteers attending several neighborhood fairs and all sunday streets to get word out. and invite our neighbors to join this family of for the benefit of newer commissioners i will turn back the clock to 2717ful labor day weekend.

city responsiblesed know extreme heat event that can harm the elderly and vulnerable populations. on a friday night received a text from chief brown asking for vol torse to staff cooling centers for the neighbors. and by saturday morning we had teams deployed to the cooling centers the city stood up. several nor cal fire event and once again nert was called on to help. we deployed to shelter and staff donation enters. then in 2020. the world change when covid-19 reared its ugly head. and the city needed more people power. who are you going to call? san francisco fire department's neighborhood emergency sponse

teach helped the city hand out flyers than as we shelter in the place walked blocks taping information door by door to help our neighbored. the vaccine arrived nert was called on to staff sites to free up the medical staff to provide the vaccinations. the force multifloir 8 nerts honored help out in the city's eoc covid command center.

nert logged tense of thousands of hours i should say fema reimbursable hours supporting our natures. thank you volunteers. opt last slide nert is a forced multiplier for the city. the about the of the doll math. every day there are 350 firefighters on daoist responding to the needs of the city. dipendock who you talk to san francisco has a population of 750,000 people. 1 firefighter to every 2, 150 citizens. which on a regular daily basis meets our need. in a sdaft 30 ratio does not work.

that's y where nert is a force multiplier. growing the family nert is a challenge we famous another challenge we face is population influx. nert who experienced the 89 quake are retiring from the program. over the last few years, we can look and see our city is changing. and nert needs to find new ways and differents ways to engage this different and younger and diverse demographic. changes like this don't happen in a vacuum. it takes human capitol. lastly we look at challenge of serving the whole community. and. we need to build our program out to support diverse languages of our community.

we have growing vulnerable population who is need different support of the when we look at the new challenges, we as a community face such as the public safety power shut offs. the need for our volunteer service grow. for example. we are working with the d. public health. to figure out ways to support vulnerable populations who need electricity for life saving medical equip. developing ways to serve the vulnerable community takes time in human capitol. i invite my board member to the podium. >> good evening. thank you president nakajo, morgan. fine stierng fraser, collins. chooefr nicholson and staff

amative have been a nert since after moving here in 2012 i was honored to be work as the disaster volunteer coordinator. and after leaving i was invited to join the mitt east nert so i could remain involved. will we had the challenges. for the duration of the nert program and our -- program is just constantly attracted world class talent. the previous members gone on to leadership positions in the city and the department of human resource s and emergency management and public health we know the will quality of staff is incredible throughout 30 years. we had detd indicated program coordinators. brown took the program to heights never seen. we are peerless across other

team usa. recognized at state, level and international levels. and and. -- we did additional math. thanks to nathan calculated fema dollars and other measures. we upon estimate that every one dollar spent on nert is devolve 15 dollars spent in our just resilience across the city. so -- our enduring ask now and always has been for staff support of the this is really for you the fire department as we are now with our staff has been a staff one in the office for the duration of the program. 2 if lucky. and including now. we focus on training of the 35,000 volunteers.

each whop receive this training is one less victim in a disaster. and in our best case the multipliers who can support firefighter's we teach them to speak the language of suppression ask know how to slot in the sponse structure of the dwhpt needed. what we really have not been able to focus with the staffing level is anything beyond training. witness they graduate from nert the once we are into it come back and are so dedicated but we don't have the way to continue with retention and training. when we certify a nert nacertification is good for 2 years and ask them to come back. without being able to focus on anything beyond that training we are missing an opportunity to

support the fire department. and make us more resilient than we are. questions. >> thank you. >> i'm here to answer questions that you may have. >> thank you very much will captain tom and for your presentation and support. at this point we will ask for public comment on this item. madam secretary >> i don't see anybody approaching and there is nobody in the line. >> public upon comment is closed i will take questions or comments from the commissioners. commissioner or -- chief nicholson. would you like to give remarks? yes. thank you president nakajo. thank you so much brandon and teach i appreciate you all so much. and yea nert is -- extremely

important. and -- they do really good work. i was a nert trainer for a few years and that's how i got ton some of the team. and -- yea. we have strugyinged with staffing and -- retention -- and i do understands that is an issue and we can certainly take this off line and discuss it further. of with you captain tom, all right, brother. thank you to our nert folks for all that you do. this is voluntary and you know it really shows your character and how much you care and -- i really, really appreciate that. >> thank you very much. is there commissioners. commissioner fraser.

would you like to say something? [cannot hear commissioner] small percentage less than.1%.

vice president morgan. thank you for your report and thank you for coming and thank you for the selfless work you do. can you hear me? i got a loud voice. and -- were hopefully the budget did not affect you guys and you did okay. thanks to mr. corso. [laughter] and you guys are will how many active members do you guys have? i would say 10,000. >> wow. >> 10,000! that's a small number. our goal the ghee i have is that we get to 40,000 active. tell take a long time thatted hospital multiplier. >> yes. >> that's 5% of our city. >> that's not much. but that -- studies have shown

that would be the most impactful. everybody grab a bikt. >> yes. >> yea. >> freesht appreciate you coming. thank you for your report. >> thank you, vice president morgan. >> commissioner upon collins? excellent report. i'm learning about nert from ufrment and there parts of the city that are better covered than others? >> will that's a big question. because there are depending on the neighborhood some are more affective than others. and it is due to population changing. so it is a loaded question. i would love all of the city to be equal. but there are some that have better taken careful themselves than others. >> people tend on work in their own neighborhoods. is that right? the goal you move on in your

neighborhood but that is not necessary lite case but that's the goal. >> i continuing is incredible that a volunteer effort 10,000 sounds not enough and also sounds e normous. well doneful >> thank you, commissioner collins. at this point upon commissioner fine stievenl thank you. i really wanted to -- commends you people that volunteer give up themselves, give up their time, give up their expert team usa they give whatever it is they have to will give. and -- i -- upon holds you in tremendous regard because you volunteer.

and you know come out and dot training teach or participate or whatever it is you do. makings a difference will my question upon references in here is how do you deal with language difference? because, i can't remember where it was i read how many different languages are spoken by citizens in san francisco. i remember being atounlded by the number. how do you handle that situation and in terms of you are going to get volunteers you are able to recruit and you will have people who will benefit from the service and really like to be volunteers. but may have a communication

barrier. how -- wham is your strategy to address that issue? >> so in the past, we have bilingual firefighters dot instruction. we have spanish speakers, cantonese, mandarin, go out in the meeting and conduct class. that number of people bilingual is dwindling. now we have everything printed in different languages. however, so i adopt to address that communication barrier is an issue. i would love a better way to solve t. of we tech snolg a way we are am leaning toward. there are programs we can speak in a mic and translate it on the screen. that's the next step. we don't have the capacity to do that yet. >> thank you.

>> thank you. commissioner feinstein. . i want to make a new remarks. colleagues in terms of our fire commissioners who are volunteers. the subject matter of volunteers is so important and highly regarded. in terms of volunteering and the time and years you have done that i can't help but you are back when i'm there at candlestick park watching a's and giants and the seat i was on i was standing up and i did not realize that was the movement of the earthquake i grabbed my son and ran out of the stadium. only way i could have got home if the citizens of san francisco were not out on the streets directing traffic. exit never forgot that.

because that public service we talked a lot about public service the generation out there. but the public service and the volunteers who were out in san francisco that got an opportunity to go home. i saw in same spirit with the concepts in terms of nert and the development and the boulevard nert. chief brown is back there as well and the time and the commitment within that if chief tom you pick up that assign am. i'm curious as the population difference is occurring now with the finds it with the question that commissioner feinstein asked about language and the bottom line is trying to recruit more members of nert. the generation changes we of need happened now that generation we are older. and i'm curious as to how we will reach out to the younger 7erations that make up san francisco we had a discussion

the other day when tom o'connor asking about the young folks the members who are interested in public service i police officer or firefighter, or medic and nert sorry there, to me as part of that. i can't imagine the were next crisis we have if we don't have nert. folks out there. we than when san francisco if you then and there extend that. ure got this edge going on that one day. we don't want it to happen but as a matter of time if chief? happen or prem rigz for you to -- deal with it. i wanted say that and say how much i appreciate nert the advisory and all you do and the commissioner can do to try to work to recruit captain tom and the staffent row we saw an image

doing festivals and surrounded by men and women and public service spirit motivated me. thank you very much for coming and giving us an update. with this presentation. thank you very much. >> thank you. madam secretary >> item 6 commission president's report. >> colleagues i promise you this will not take a lot of time of every once in awhile the prerogative of the president we have items on the agenda come tonight was simply an update i will hit 3 subject matters. one as you know we have responsibility in terms of doing discipline hearings and general low the president has the responsibility to try to excuse me a hearing officer. to commissioners. we have been fortunate the last

2 years because commissioner feinstein over seen probably 20 different hearings went year x envelope and appreciate that but there is some issues of that if equity and he fairness. besides asking to you maintain yourself within that. and we are fortunate the case come up that xharn fraser now stepped up to try to do this. i'm giving him a head's up that at some point we will all do that responsibility. and again fear not thereof is an experienced former scombruj someone with knowledge and our city attorney's office that will help us with this in terms of our conduct. and information through transition with city attorneys. we will find this out as we adjust ourselves. for example, we will call the meeting soon because there are rule changes and appeals coming

in front of us. that we will being need to be knowledgeable about them tha but seems to need to vote this in. these are all part of the assignment in terms of the prerogative of the church to ask for commissioner in terms of hearings or appeals and i wanted give everybody a head's that you want is coming down the road. item 2. the chief talked about the condition of members at the board the other day. with parades. gay parade. cherry blossom of china town, st. patrick's and vet republican's day and various even this is is a baptist events and programs that occur. and irmented remark that it would be grit if we could coordinate that in terms of our commission secretary she receives information from city hall and passed it to us if a requirement we have an option to

attends or not it is simple low given as information. upon our availability. and part of that cordination is sometimes message from the chief's office about an event that gives us an option to attends an upon event or meeting. i wanted say that because i know you are all veteran commissioners in the sense that we go out well see an incident and have dialogue and revisit a house. better we are cord nay in terms of it we finish we want to do a ride along or treasure island or the fire boat and through the office.

some members who attends the meetings to in my zeal to be part of a participate. i showed up and sat in the back and goin realize that back there in the day my decor was different i wore sun glasses and the black hat. and i said and -- to the credit of the members at the meeting stood up and said, who is this guy. and identified myself as a commissioner that member felt uncomfortable with a commissioner being there. i -- removed myself.

item 3 is that we will have our normal commission meeting the next 4 months. we are at the mid year. july, august, september, october regular 2 meetings november and december we have one. calendar that. and just as a point of information when we get to december, there are 3 commissions that are sitting that terms will expire. on january 15th of 24. head's up of information that includes commissioner feinstein and vice president morgan and myself. and just as a point of information fraser will expire january 15 of 25.

and commissioner collins january 15 of 26. depending upon how the winds blow in terms of january is concerned that's a point of information as we move in the new year >> all right. >> commissioner fraser you have something? that concludes my update wrochlt

there is nobody for public upon comment propping or on the line >> thank you. public comment is closed. item 7, adjournment. >> thank you very much, everybody. thank you.

the san francisco music hall of fame is a living breathing world that's all encompassing about music. [music playing] it tries to do everything to create a music theme. music themes don't really exist anymore. it is $7, the tour is two floors, (inaudible) so, each one of these frames that you see here, you can-you are and look into the story of that act, band, entertainment

and their contributions to music. affordability is what we are all about. creative support. we are dedicated to the working musician. we are also dedicated to breaking some big big acts. we like to make the stories around here. ultimately legends. >> you're watching san francisco rising with chris manners. today's special guest is katy

tang. [♪♪♪] >> hi. i'm chris manners, and you're watching san francisco rising, the show that's focused on rebuilding, reimagining, and revitalizing our city. with us today is katy tang, and she's talk to -- talking to us about assistance and services provided to local businesses. can we talk about the role of the office of small business? many small businesses are struggling to help. how can you help? >> director tang: we are here as the city's central point of information for all things small businesses, so we can help people start, stay, and grow in the city. if you want to start a small business, we can pair you up with small business advisors, who can talk you through your business plan, help you develop

it, whether it's regulatory requirements, business permits, and just help you understand the journey that was up ahead. and if you'd like to stay in san francisco and perhaps your business is facing challenges, we can also pair you with a business advisor who can assess your business needs and figure out whatside that would best help you. so for example, perhaps you need more marketing assistance or you need to be connected to a loan, a low interest loan or a grant program, if that's available. those are services we can provide to you, whether you're starting out or trying to stay in san francisco. and of course, if you want to expand and grow into a new space, we can help assist you with that and help prepare you for the journey ahead. we have a team dedicated to assist you you with all the small business needs, all the

requirements needed to help you establish your small business in san francisco. >> do you have an e.s.l. program for people who want to start small businesses? >> director tang: we have staff that can speak spanish and mandarin and cantonese, and we understand if english is not your first language, it can be difficult, so we want to be as helpful as possible. >> excellent. i know that s.f. shines was created to help with restoring and improvement. can you tell us more about that? >> yes. it's run out of a sister development and it's much needed in the small business community. if you are trying to improve your storefront, whether it's outside, perhaps you want to make some interior

improvements, a lot of times, that involves a lot of cost and resources to be able to do so. for example, you may need to hire an architect to submit drawings so you can get your work done. currently, s.f. shines is offer a pairing of business sign services. you can be paired up with an architect to get your drawings done to help you start to do the actual work. we hope that people will stay tuned, and you can find out more information on our website. that's sfgov.org/osb. >> let's talk about the shared spaces program. it's been a huge success, and

outdoor dining spaces are very popular. >> the shared spaces program, especially during the pandemic, really helped spaces survive. to have an outdoor space where people could safely gather was critical, and the office of small business has been working with these shared spaces during the pandemic. some may or may not have been up to the city's code regulations, so department of public works and other departments have been trying to figure out what violations are and help businesses come into compliance. the planning department and the city have decided that they'll

give businesses until 2023 to come into compliance. also in the meantime, for businesses that want to start new shared spaces, new parklets, that is still an on going program, a new program, so people can always submit their applications for shared spaces regardless whether they started one during the pandemic or not. >> do you anticipate there being other shared spaces programs in the future and how do small businesses go about finding out about them? >> small businesses can find out about it by visiting our website, sfgov/osb or you can call 415-554-6134, and we can connect you with the planning department and other agencies that would be connected with the shared spaces programs. >> over the pandemic,

businesses have been victimized by vandals and other crimes. how can you help them? >> the city offers a program called the vandalism relief fund, and this would allow businesses suffering from graffiti or broken windows to apply with the city through our neighborhood services division, and you could get up to 1,000 or 2,000 if you submit certain documentation, such as a photograph of the damage or a copy of the receipt or document showing the amount you paid for to correct the incident. we are so excited that the city now has a centralized permit center, where people can come and get their business done, hopefully, in the same day

where there are several different agencies, ranging from department of building inspection, planning department, public health, fire department, all here to help people, whether you're building a new business or even new construction, to be able to, again, fit all of your appointments in one day and get things done quickly. so starting in may, our office of small business has actually started working out of 49 south van ness at the permit center, and we have a team of two staff who are dedicated to helping small businesses through their permitting journey. so we do encourage people, you can come to the permit center or you can e-mail us at sfosb@sfgov.org, and you can communicate with our staff dedicated to helping you with your permitting needs. we hope that people will consider consulting with us before you even sign a lease so that we can help you on the

path to success and understanding the journey of setting up a small business in san francisco. >> well, thank you so much. i really appreciate you coming on the show, miss tang. thank you for the time you've given us today. >> director tang: thanks for having me. >> and that's it for this show. we'll be back shortly. you've been watching san francisco rising. for sfgovtv, i'm chris manners. thanks for watching. shop and dine in the 49 promotes local businesses and challenges residents to do their shopping and dining within the 49 square miles of san francisco. by supporting local services within our neighborhoods, we help san francisco remain unique, successful, and vibrant. so where will you shop and dine in the 49? >> my name is ray behr. i am the owner of chief plus.

it's a destination specialty foods store, and it's also a corner grocery store, as well. we call it cheese plus because there's a lot of additions in addition to cheese here. from fresh flowers, to wine, past a, chocolate, our dining area and espresso bar. you can have a casual meeting if you want to. it's a real community gathering place. what makes little polk unique, i think, first of all, it's a great pedestrian street. there's people out and about all day, meeting this neighbor and coming out and supporting the businesses. the businesses here are almost all exclusively independent owned small businesses. it harkens back to supporting local. polk street doesn't look like anywhere u.s.a. it has its own businesses and

personality. we have clothing stores to gallerys, to personal service stores, where you can get your hsus repaired, luggage repaired. there's a music studio across the street. it's raily a diverse and unique offering on this really great street. i think san franciscans should shop local as much as they can because they can discover things that they may not be familiar with. again, the marketplace is changing, and, you know, you look at a screen, and you click a mouse, and you order something, and it shows up, but to have a tangible experience, to be able to come in to taste things, to see things, to smell things, all those things, it's very important that you do so.

[music] >> office of initiative start in the 2017 and started as a result of community advocacy. our transgender nonbinary community advocates were really letting our government know that we needed to be heard. we needed to be considered and policy and budget decision and so, then the mayor lee and founding director of spark created officeof initiative that allow us to advocate for equity for transgender and nonbinary communitiful we focus on 4 areas. training, education for the city employees. we focus on civic and community engagement making sure our leaders have a voice and are heard by our elected officials. we work on policies and programs to make sure our city is

responsive to transand nonbinary community and add voice to departments to integrate transinclusion in policies, procedures and practice. >> we still have, lot of work to do to improve and address equity in san fran for our community upon i feel that we are on the right track and seeing how people's lives are improving thanks to those changes. i do think it is unique that our local government is sponsive to transgender communities so i hope that people can remember that despite the work we had, we seat progress. we seat change and there is hope for transpeople in san francisco and wherever we come together and organize to improve our lives. [music]

calling this meeting to order. thank you for being here. call the roll >> president ajami. >> here. >> vice president maxwell. commissioner paulson. >> here. >> commissioner stacy. >> here. >> we have a quorum. members of the public make up to 2 minutes of remote comment dialing 415-554-0001, access code: 2590 070 2821 ##. to raise your hand press star 3. speakers am hear a chime when there is 30 seconds left. limit comment to the topic of item discussed unless under general public comment.