Mayor Lurie Breaks Ground On New Fire Department Training Campus In Bayview-Hunters Point

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today broke ground on a new training facility for the next generation of San Francisco firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), marking the latest step in the city’s ongoing effort to create a safer and more prepared San Francisco. Built from the ground up and overseen by San Francisco Public Works, the project is made possible by the 2020 Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond and will replace outdated existing facilities and create a training environment to train modern-day first responders.

The new San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) training facility builds on Mayor Lurie’s work to improve safety in San Francisco and support the city’s first responders. To support San Francisco’s firefighters, Mayor Lurie made San Francisco the largest city in the country to transition its entire fleet to non-PFAS turnout gear and help keep our firefighters healthy. The mayor also allocated $500,000 to launch a first-of-its-kind firefighter cancer prevention screening pilot aimed at improving early detection and saving lives among San Francisco’s first responders. To support all of San Francisco’s first responders, the mayor is taking steps to fully staff the San Francisco Police Department and Sheriff’s Office and, just yesterday, celebrated steps to increase staffing levels of 911 dispatch officers.

“We must provide our first responders with the tools and resources they need to be successful. And with this project, we will,” said Mayor Lurie. “This new training facility will serve our city for decades to come—creating jobs and economic opportunities for San Franciscans and local businesses. This project would not have been possible without the voters of San Francisco, who had the foresight in 2020 to approve a $628.5 million Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response bond that helped fund this project and supports essential seismic upgrades and critical improvements to aging first responder facilities across San Francisco.”

The new facility will ensure that the SFFD’s first responders have high-quality training and facilities to serve San Francisco residents, visitors, and businesses. The eight-acre campus at 1200 Carroll Avenue will provide advanced training grounds for first responder recruits and veteran staff and will serve as SFFD’s backup emergency operations center in the event of a far-reaching incident.

The new facility will improve operational efficiency by consolidating existing SFFD training facilities in one new location with an administration and classroom building, a firefighter recruit building, an apparatus building for vehicle and equipment storage, a maintenance shop, several controlled live-fire and rescue structures, urban search and rescue simulations, and paved roadways with hills to emulate San Francisco’s topography and street conditions for fire apparatus vehicle maneuvering, fire ladder, and fire hose deployment training.

“Every new sworn member of the San Francisco Fire Department will begin their journey and make their commitment to service here at the Division of Training. They will return again and again throughout their career to sharpen their skills and rise to new challenges. This is where firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs will be forged. This will be the heart of the San Francisco Fire Department,” said San Francisco Fire Department Chief Dean Crispen. “Thanks to the support of voters, we are able to build the future of this great department, right here in the Bayview.”

“As first responders, dedicated training, meticulous preparation and continued education represent the cornerstones of our professional calling,” said International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 798 President Sam Gebler. “They are core to our mission of public service and safety—and critical infrastructure improvements, like this new training campus, lay the foundation for a firefighting force that is always ready to step up when San Francisco residents, visitors, and communities find themselves in peril.”

The project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2029, is expected to create more than 450 construction jobs, with local residents performing 30% of the work hours and 50% of the apprentice work hours. Swinerton, a national construction firm headquartered in the Bay Area, will serve as general contractor. San Francisco subcontractors will perform 20% of the work, with at least a dozen from the District 10 San Francisco Hyper-Local Building Trades Contractors Collective.  

San Francisco Public Works is providing project management, project design, and construction management services for the training facility project.

“We’re proud to have the firefighter training facility here in District 10,” said Supervisor Shamann Walton. “This investment creates real opportunity, building pathways for local residents into careers in public safety and strengthening the future of our workforce. The San Francisco Fire Department continues to lead with a commitment to community, equity, and excellence.”

“This project is both vitally important for San Francisco and a highly complex, challenging undertaking, requiring an all-hands-on-deck approach from the city and our partners,” said Carla Short, San Francisco Public Works Director. “As the latest example of San Francisco’s commitment to strategically investing in critical public infrastructure, this game-changing training facility for our first responders will help safeguard our communities and bolster the city’s emergency preparedness for generations to come.”

“Making San Francisco more resilient during emergencies is a top priority of the city’s capital plan—our 10-year roadmap for critical infrastructure needs,” said City Administrator Carmen Chu. “That includes investing in our first responders and the facilities they rely on. This new facility honors our commitment to ensuring emergency responders have the tools they need to protect our communities, no matter what comes. I want to thank San Francisco voters for overwhelmingly approving the 2020 Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond that makes this project possible.”