San Francisco Firefighters say

Future Op-Ed Piece for the Save our Firehouses Campaign
Cut the fat, not the firehouses
By Tom O’Connor
San Francisco has always looked to its
firefighters in times of crisis. Today, our city
faces a budget crisis unlike any in modern
memory – and firefighters are working sideby-side
with their fellow San Franciscans to
meet the challenge.
We’re cutting our budget at the Fire Department,
improving efficiency and even digging
into our own pockets and taking less
pay to help close our city’s half-billion dollar
budget gap. We’re doing all of this to make
sure we can continue to fulfill our vital mission:
to protect the lives and property of the
people of San Francisco.
We know that in times like these, it’s waste
and bureaucracy that need to be cut – not
vital services.
That’s why San Francisco firefighters want
our contributions to this effort to be used
to keep our neighborhood firehouses open,
not redirected to pay for other priorities
that, although important, are not as important
as public safety.
Four years ago, San Franciscans passed the
Neighborhood Firehouse Protection Act to
keep our neighborhood firehouses open.
They understood then – and understand
now – that San Francisco’s neighborhood
firehouses are the first line of defense in the
event of fires, medical emergencies or any
major disaster.
We agree. And we feel so strongly about
it that we’re cutting our own pay because
we know San Francisco cannot afford to cut
neighborhood firehouses.
As San Francisco firefighters, we’re proud
that we’re doing something right – and
we’ve been doing it right for more than 20
years. Consider these facts:
First, the number of emergency calls handled
by the Fire Department has more than
doubled in the last 20 years. Yet, we’re
handling these calls with 15 percent fewer
staff – and we’re doing a better job. Medical
outcomes for the patients we serve have
greatly improved and our response times
are now among the fastest in the nation.
Second, our department is now one of the
busiest of all fire departments in the United
States, with our busiest engines regularly
handling more than 7,000 call a year. In
most municipal fire departments, handling
3,500 calls a year is considered busy.
Third, while our productivity has doubled,
the percentage of the city budget that goes
to fund fire and emergency medical services
has dramatically decreased to just over half
of what it was 20 years ago.
How did we accomplish this feat? It wasn’t
magic – just common sense and hard work.
The Fire Department undertook a compre
34 Main Line www.sffdlocal798.org
hensive review of emergency services in
2004 and, based on the results, completely
overhauled the way we deliver these vital
services.
Instead of maintaining two separate sets of
personnel for medical and fire services, the
department and its Local 798 union began
to cross-train its staff to become firefighter
/ medics. We’ve created dual-function (fire
and medical) engine companies to make
sure that both fire and emergency medical
services are closer to you – in your neighborhood
firehouse – when you need them
in an emergency.
These innovations have resulted in fewer
staff and faster response times. Most importantly,
they have saved lives.
We understand what tough times mean to
San Francisco and the tough choices facing
our decision-makers. We’re doing our part
by continuing to find cost-savings and make
necessary reforms – like cross-training firefighters
and medics. We’re cutting the fat
– but we shouldn’t cut neighborhood firehouses
that are your first line of defense
for fires, medical emergencies, and major
disasters.