Someday another earthquake of the magnitude that hit San Francisco in 1906 is expected to strike again. A bond proposal to expand an emergency water system for fighting fires that will likely follow a massive quake was passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
As a resident of the Inner Sunset, I am concerned about the potential fire hazard posed by the aging eucalyptus forest in the Mt. Sutro Open Space Reserve that is owned and managed by the UCSF Medical Center.
In response to the February article (Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon) on the use of both Lake Merced water and Sunset Reservoir water to fight post-earthquake fires in the Outer Richmond and Outer Sunset, it is gratifying to see that the SF Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is finally willing to concede that the use of our drinking water alone will not enable the SF Fire Department (SFFD) to combat post-earthquake fires in hundreds of blocks of wood-frame housing.
On Tuesday, March 19, 12:30-3:30 p.m., San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD), in collaboration with Community Youth Center, Agape Community Center and Golden Gate Church, will hold a Community Safety Fair for members of the public.
Plans for San Francisco’s emergency firefighting water system have been expanded to include drafting water from Lake Merced, which could help the entire west side, especially since Sunset Reservoir water could be claimed by other peninsula water districts.
Thomas K. Pendergast, a reporter with the Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon newspapers, was honored by the SF Press Club on Nov. 15 for his investigative reporting on the lack of water available for firefighting in San Francisco’s western and southern neighborhoods.
We can save 15 neighborhoods from catastrophic destruction if we demand that the AWSS be completed now, before a major earthquake strikes, by using the 2020 issue of the ESER bonds to finance it.
A new plan to expand the emergency water system for firefighting after a major
earthquake seems to be gaining support among San Francisco city officials,
but questions remain about options yet to be explored.
One San Francisco supervisor, the Richmond District’s Sandra Lee Fewer, asked the SF
Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to come up with a study of options for addressing
this issue after it offered a previous solution that the SF Fire Depart ment (SFFD) deemed
unworkable.
More than 15 San Francisco neighborhoods could burn to the ground due to a lack of water at the SF Fire Department’s disposal after a major earthquake. A plan to expand […]
Going forward, all evidence points to more of what we’ve seen during the several years
since the passage of the 2014 bond: the SFPUC careening back and forth from one
implausible “band aid” scheme to another while avoiding an actual expansion of the
amazingly efficient high-pressure hydrant system.
More than 15 San Francisco neighborhoods could burn to the ground due to a lack of water at the SF Fire Department’s disposal after a major earthquake.
City officials have been playing a dangerous game of Russian Roulette with the safety and
security of tens of thousands of San Franciscan’s lives. They all agree that a catastrophic
earthquake is coming, but they hope it’s not on their watch.
The recent wildfires that devastated parts of Northern California this fall have caused
communities across the state to question what resources they have available to quickly
put out large fires.
The reservoirs need to be
intact or fully backed up, otherwise what good are the pipes without water?
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 