San Francisco Fire Department shows off its emergency readiness in preparedness drill: 'Be vigilant'

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — When preparing for a disaster, San Francisco says it’s ready to respond.

The LA fires have raised questions about the city’s readiness when it comes to an emergency. On Saturday, a unique event showcased the fire department’s innovative technology and water supply.

Water power was on display along San Francisco’s Embarcadero.

The San Francisco Fire Department was showing off some unique firefighting tools like the St. Francis Fire Boat, essentially a floating fire hydrant on the bay.

New Fire Chief Dean Crispen was giving Mayor Daniel Lurie a tour outside Fireboat Station 35, and a demonstration of the city’s high pressure fire hydrant system.

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It’s no coincidence this demonstration was happening in the wake of the Southern California wildfire disaster.

Many locals are asking: “How ready is San Francisco?”

“I’m getting this question a lot in my first 10 days in office,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.

Lurie believes the city is ready.

“We have a fully staffed fire department. We have 200 cisterns, including new ones on the west side,” Lurie said.

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In an emergency, the city has an unlimited water supply from the Bay using submersible pumps.

“Right now, you’re seeing essentially a fire engine in the water pumping water to the hose tender,” said SFFD Captain Jonathan Baxter.

The hose tender trucks are new for the department. They can pump 5,500 gallons of water per minute, versus a typical fire truck which pumps 1,500 gallons.

“We’re lucky to have a primary water supply, white fire hydrants on almost every corner of San Francisco. We have a secondary water supply, which is specifically used for firefighting,” Crispen said.

“After two stressful weeks, we decided to come here to stay with friends,” said Elaine Zhang.

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Zhang and her family are visiting from West LA. Luckily, they didn’t have to evacuate their home.

She was very surprised to see this fire drill demo happening.

“It’s the right thing to do. That’s what we need. I hoped LA had prepared better for the wildfires we had,” Zhang said.

The fire department says real time drills like this are happening every weekend across the city.

“And so, we will be vigilant. We will stay on top of it. It’s my commitment to people of San Francisco. We have to keep them as safe as possible,” Lurie said.