By Supervisor Joel Engardio

I spent a day visiting San Francisco firefighters in the three stations that serve Sunset neighborhoods. SFFD puts out fires and responds to medical emergencies when you call 911. They even swim into the ocean to rescue people. They’re real life superheroes!

The surf rescue truck has surfboards on it. When someone is drowning in the ocean, a super fit firefighter will swim out with a board.

San Francisco uses wooden ladders because they hold up to heat better than a melting metal ladder. And less risk of electric shock against wires. The largest wooden ladders reach 4-stories high and take 6 people to safely erect. Some are 100 years old and still work great!

Every firehouse still has a pole that gets used in the middle of the night calls. During 24 hour shifts, one firefighter is the designated cook to make lunch and dinner for the crew in the kitchen. Each firefighter pays for their share of the food out of their own pocket.

The future of firefighting is in drones, which will help firefighters see what’s on the back side of a burning building or find people swept into the sea.

Everything firefighters do to save our lives, they do it while wearing heavy equipment. It’s amazing how they can withstand the heat and weight of the job – literally and figuratively. It’s why they are heroes.