San Francisco Fire Department
The San Francisco Fire Department provides fire and emergency medical services to the City and County of San Francisco, California. The San Francisco Fire Department, along with the San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco Sheriff's Department, serves an estimated population of 1.4 million people, which includes the approximately 850,000 citizens residing in the of San Francisco (including Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the San Francisco International Airport, and the Presidio of San Francisco/Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
History
Volunteer companies were first formed in the city in 1850, and a paid staff established in 1866. In 1906, the department was considered on a par with those of the larger cities on the East Coast, but found itself reduced to fighting the fire of 1906 in the quake aftermath with axes and shovels, as most of the city's water mains were broken and cisterns drained. Fire Chief Dennis T. Sullivan suffered mortal wounds in his home by a falling chimney early in the disaster and subsequently died in the hospital.In 1955, Earl Gage Jr. was hired as the first Black firefighter. His work as director of community services is credited with diversifying the department.
Operations
Fireboats
The SFFD has three fireboats that are docked at Pier. Fireboat 1, the Phoenix, was constructed in 1954 and is fitted with three deck monitors, a water town and two under pier monitors. Fireboat 2, the Guardian, was constructed in 1950 and is the oldest fireboat in the fleet. Both boats are and outfitted with two engines giving them top speeds of and . A third new 85-foot fireboat was christened the St. Francis in October 2016.Fire Stations and Apparatus
Below is a full listing of all fire station and company locations in the City & County of San Francisco according to division and battalion.There are also three SFFD-operated fire stations located at the San Francisco International Airport in San Mateo County.
| Fire Station | Neighborhood | Engine Company | Truck Company | Special Unit | Battalion, Division, Rescue Captain or EMS operations vehicle | ||
| 1 | South of Market | Engine 1 | Truck 1 | Rescue Squad 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 2 | Chinatown | Engine 2 | Truck 2 | Battalion 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 3 | Tenderloin | Engine 3 | Truck 3 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 4 | Mission Bay | Engine 4 | Truck 4 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 5 | Fillmore District | Engine 5 | Truck 5 | Light Rescue 5 | Division 2 | 5 | 2 |
| 6 | Castro | Engine 6 | Truck 6 | Decontamination Unit 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 7 | Mission District | Engine 7 | Truck 7 | Rescue Squad 2, Light Rescue 7 | Division 3 | 6 | 3 |
| 8 | South Beach | Engine 8 | Truck 8 | Battalion 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| 9 | Dog Patch | Engine 9 | Truck 9 | Battalion 10 | 10 | 3 | |
| 10 | Presidio Heights | Engine 10 | Truck 10 | CBRNE 1 | 5 | 2 | |
| 11 | Noe Valley | Engine 11 | Truck 11 | Battalion 6, Rescue Captain 3 | 6 | 3 | |
| 12 | Haight-Ashbury | Engine 12 | Truck 12 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 13 | Financial District | Engine 13 | Truck 13 | CO2 Unit 1, Mobile Command 1 | Rescue Captain 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 | Outer Richmond | Engine 14 | Truck 14 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 15 | Ingleside | Engine 15 | Truck 15 | Battalion 9 | 9 | 3 | |
| 16 | Marina District, Marina Green Fort Mason | Engine 16 | Truck 16 | Rescue Boat 1, Rescue Water Craft 1, Rescue Water Craft 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 17 | Bayview-Hunters Point | Engine 17 | Truck 17 | Portable Hydrant Tender 17 | 10 | 3 | |
| 18 | Outer Parkside | Engine 18 | Truck 18 | Coastal Rescue Unit 1 | 8 | 2 | |
| 19 | Stonestown Galleria Fort Funston | Engine 19 | Truck 19 | Haz-Mat. Assist Trailer | 9 | 2 | |
| 20 | Laguna Honda Reservoir | Engine 20 | Mobile Air Unit 1, Mobile Air Unit 2, Pollution Control Unit, Mobile Air Support Trailer 1 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 21 | Panhandle | Engine 21 | Attack Hose Tender 21, Utility Unit 1 | Battalion 5 | 5 | 3 | |
| 22 | Sunset District | Engine 22 | Portable Hydrant Tender 22 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 23 | Outer Sunset District | Engine 23 | 8 | 2 | |||
| 24 | Eureka Valley | Engine 24 | 6 | 3 | |||
| 25 | Dog Patch | Engine 25 | Mini-Pumper 25, Multi-Casualty Unit 1 | 10 | 3 | ||
| 26 | Glen Park | Engine 26 | 6 | 3 | |||
| 28 | North Beach | Engine 28 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 29 | Design District | Engine 29 | Decontamination Unit 2 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 31 | Inner Richmond | Engine 31 | Battalion 7, Rescue Captain 2 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 32 | College Hill | Engine 32 | Mini-Pumper 32 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 33 | Oceanview | Engine 33 | 9 | 3 | |||
| 34 | Lands End | Engine 34 | Coastal Rescue Unit 2 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 35 | Pier | Engine 35 | Fireboat 1 Phoenix, Fireboat 2 Guardian, Fireboat 3 St. Francis | 3 | 3 | ||
| 36 | Civic Center | Engine 36 | Haz-Mat. 1, Haz-Mat. 2 | Battalion 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| 37 | Potrero Hill | Engine 37 | 10 | 3 | |||
| 38 | Pacific Heights | Engine 38 | Battalion 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 39 | Forest Hill | Engine 39 | Multi-Casualty Unit 2 | 9 | 3 | ||
| 40 | Inner Parkside | Engine 40 | Battalion 8 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 41 | Nob Hill | Engine 41 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 42 | Portola | Engine 42 | Portable Hydrant Tender 42 | 10 | 3 | ||
| 43 | Excelsior | Engine 43 | Mini-Pumper 43, OES Unit 248 | Rescue Captain 4 | 9 | 3 | |
| 44 | Visitacion Valley | Engine 44 | Mini-Pumper 44 | 10 | 3 | ||
| 48 | Treasure Island | Engine 48 | Truck 48 | Rescue Ambulance 48, Hose Tender 48, Portable Hydrant Tender 48 | 3 | 3 | |
| 49 | India Basin | ALS Medic Units, BioMed Unit, Arson Unit, Logistics Units, Supply Units | EMS Chief, EMS Operations Chief, Rescue Captain | 10 | 3 | ||
| 51 | Presidio of San Francisco | Engine 51 | 4 | 2 |
SFO Stations
All apparatus at SFO go by the 'Rescue' call sign, whether Engine, Truck, ARFF Crash, Medic Unit, or Command SUV.| Location | Engine | Truck | Medic | ARFF Crash | Command | Other | |
| 1 | West End of airport | Rescue 54 | Rescue 47, Rescue 48 | Rescue 91 | Rescue 10, Rescue 88 | Rescue 67-Rescue Captain | Rescue 81 |
| 2 | Intersection of four runways | Rescue 11, Rescue 9,Rescue 40 | Rescue 61, Airboat 51, RHIB, Rescue 55 | ||||
| 3 | South End of airport | Rescue 33 | Rescue 93 | Rescue 12, Rescue 49, Rescue 41 | Rescue 65 | Bike Medics |
Disbanded fire companies
Throughout the history of the San Francisco Fire Department there have been several fire companies which have been closed due to budget cuts and the restructuring of engine company numbers in 1972–1973.- Engine Company 27 : Disbanded July 1, 1976
- Engine Company 30 : Disbanded July 1, 1976
- Engine Company 45 : Disbanded September 26, 1972
- Engine Company 46 : Disbanded May 16, 1972
- Engine Company 47 : Disbanded May 25, 1973
- Engine Company 49 : Disbanded July 20, 1972
- Truck Company 20 : Disbanded January 2, 2002
- Battalion 5 : August 30, 2003, Reinstated January 4, 2017
- Battalion 11 : Disbanded July 1, 1970
- Salvage Company 1 : Disbanded 1980
- Salvage Company 2 : Disbanded 1975
- Salvage Company 3 : Disbanded 1977
- Salvage Company 4 : Disbanded 1986
In popular culture
- The SFFD was the responding fire department to a major high-rise fire disaster in the 1974 film, The Towering Inferno. The film cast many actual firefighters from the department and used SFFD fire trucks during the filming. Fire Station 38 was also shown. The exterior shots were done at the Bank of America Building.
- Actor Steve McQueen was given a San Francisco Fire Department Honorary Battalion Chief badge #33 with ID in recognition for his accurate portrayal of San Francisco Battalion Fire Chief Mike O'Halloran.
- The SFFD was also used in the Dirty Harry film series, particularly Rescue Squad 2 in Dirty Harry.
- When a veteran SFFD firefighter is killed and Adrian Monk is blinded in a mysterious attack at a firehouse in the Monk episode "Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing", Monk must rely on his other senses to solve the bizarre case. In the course of the episode, he finds that the killer came to the firehouse to steal a fireman's coat and even finds that the man who blinded him had just beforehand killed a woman a few blocks away and set fire to her house. The depicted fire station, Fire Station 53, is a fictitious station. The exterior of the station was represented by Fire Station 1 of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
- In the Monk novel series by Lee Goldberg, Joe Cochran, Natalie Teeger's occasional lover, is an SFFD firefighter, making appearances in the novels Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse, Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants, and Mr. Monk in Outer Space.
- The SFFD was featured in two Emergency! television movies in 1978 and 1979, where L.A. County firefighter/paramedics Gage and DeSoto run calls with the firefighters of Rescue Squad 2.
- The NBC Television show Trauma followed the fictional lives of SFFD paramedics, EMTs and flight medics.
- The department is featured in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill. After San Francisco City Hall is set ablaze by the villainous Max Zorin in an attempt to kill Bond, the SFFD arrives on scene and assists Roger Moore's character in escaping the burning building and then ultimately "borrows" a SFFD ladder truck in order to outrun the police officers chasing him on the suspicion that his character set the blaze.
- The CBS television series Rescue 911s episode #107 the 4th segment featured the San Francisco Fire Department responding to an apartment fire and in one of the scenes, sparks shoot over a firetruck from a broken wire from a powerline. The station was Station #9, built in 1915.