Photo above: SF Firefighters here in the Haight on Ashbury in front of the beloved “Steal Your Face ladder truck”; Captain Shane Murphy [middle] has been at Station 12 nearly 20 years.
Ever grateful to San Francisco Firefighters / Public Information Officers Justin Schorr and Mariano Elias for their informative — and fun — tour of Station 12 on Stanyan Street. Thank you to all the Firefighters of SF — and the world.
PIO Schorr: This station was built in 1956 as part of a 1952 bond measure. The beautiful mid-century architecture really carries through. It’s an iconic SF firehouse from the ‘50s. [Pointing to fire truck out front.] This is the iconic SF articulated Ladder Truck with a 100-foot, extendable ladder. In the back of the vehicle is the “tiller seat” so we can steer the back of the trailer through the narrow streets and congested areas here in SF, especially in the Haight District.
PIO Elias: We’re the only fire department that still has a working ladder shop that makes ladders. There happens to be somebody there who’s also an artist. Each truck individualizes their “Johnson Bar” for the neighborhood. Obviously the Haight-District is iconic. You see the Grateful Dead symbol. Peace and Love! Still sayin’ it. We still need it, right?
JS: Each company has a logo, something that brings them together as a family, as a group. All the members take great pride in their firehouse because the shifts that we work are 24 hours. We live, eat, hang together. We spend a third of our lives with our firehouse families. [ALARM sounds off. Ladder truck drives off with siren wailing.]
JS: And just like that, away they go. Everything stops. Whatever they were doing, they’ll pick up on when they get back.
HSV: Wow. That’s really a moment of understanding the psychology of being a firefighter.
JS: Always ready. Always prepared. Somewhere between the Marines and the Boy Scouts is us. It’s a paramilitary organization. We use the rank and structure of a military when we’re in an emergency situation. We need to trust and follow the instructions from our officers in order to complete the task at hand. Everybody wants to slide down the fire pole and drive the back of the fire truck without realizing that that’s very little of what we do. Lots of drills, lots, lots of preparation.
HSV: What would you like to say to this community?
JS: Let’s take care of each other. Let’s watch out for each other. We’re honored to be able to serve this community. Each of these stations is a house, it’s where we live. We’re part of the community. We’re glad to be welcomed into your home on what could be the worst day of your life. We’re going to make your bad day better.
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Haight Street Voice: Alright you guys, Haight Street Voice! I’m here, I’m so excited. I’m interviewing Station 12 up here on Stanyan. You know the awesome truck that we all love with the Steal Your Face, and then I get to interview Captain Justin Schorr, who is right here.
Captain Justin Schorr: Good morning!
HSV: Hi!
CJS: Welcome to Station 12.
HSV: Thank you for having us. We’re totally excited. Thank you for your time and your service and everything!
CJS: Of course. And a special thank you to the members of Engine and Truck 12 for hosting us today.
HSV: Awesome. Okay. I’m so excited.
So you said what year this building was built?
CJS: So this firehouse was built in 1956 as part of a 1952 bond measure. It’s most notable that there are 12 other firehouses that were built at the same time in the City between ’52 and ’56 but this beautiful mid-century architecture that really carries through. You’ve got the large bay doors, you’ve got the residence up above where the firefighters live. It’s an iconic San Francisco firehouse from the ‘50s.
HSV: I have to ask: Is that skull for Halloween or is that always there?
CJS: Probably for Halloween. It is spooky time!
[from off camera, introducing himself]: Mariano Elias
HSV: Nice to meet you! You’re on camera here, nice to meet you!
ME: I’m one of the other Public Information Officers.
HSV: Alright, nice to meet you, sir. I look forward to this. Thank you for your time and your service.
ME: Of course!
CJS: So one of the other things I’ll point out, as you go around San Francisco and especially at Station 12, you’ll notice that we have red lights in front of the firehouse? That’s from the old days when we used to hang a lantern on the old engine and truck barn, so that we would take the lantern off, put it on the hose wagon and take it to a fire, and so if the other members came to the house and they saw no lantern, they’d know to go to the next firehouse. So we still keep that tradition alive with the red lights in front of the firehouse. So as you drive through the neighborhood, you’ll be able to see that there’s a number of residence, residence, residence, a big garage with a red light? That’s probably a firehouse.
HSV: Wow. That’s fascinating, thank you. Wow, alright!
CJS: And of course the iconic San Francisco articulated Ladder Truck. This is a 100-foot, extendable ladder, and you’ll see in the back of the vehicle, that’s what’s called the “tiller seat” and that actually has a steering wheel in it so that we can steer the back of the trailer through the narrow streets and the congested areas here in San Francisco — especially in the Haight district. We know there are hills, we know there are tight streets, traffic. This let’s us get this vehicle directly up to a fire building to affect both ventilation of heat and poisonous gases to affect rescues, but also to get our firefighters up to perform those rescues.
HSV: I mean, that is a unique thing to the fire department here in the City is the hills? I mean that doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world, really, does it? Maybe Italy, I don’t know [laughs].
CJS: It does. There are a lot of hills in a lot of neighborhoods but San Francisco specifically specializes in this equipment, and our firefighters are experts in being able to put ladders up. Imagine putting a ladder up in your house, but it’s on a hill [tilting motion], right? So these firefighters are experts at being able to put ladders up on hills, with all the power lines that we have. [points across street] You can see across the street here from Station 12, to be able to put a ladder underneath those power lines to be able to rescue people from the higher floors.
HSV: Right, wow.
[Pointing to painted ladder on Ladder Truck] Can you tell me who painted that, or do you know who painted the ladder?
CJS: No, I’m not sure. [to Mariano] Do you know?
ME: Yes I do know!
There happens to be somebody at the San Francisco Fire Department ladder shop, that gentleman is also an artist. And he talks to the fire station and asks them individually, “Give me some ideas about your neighborhood, some things you’d like to see on … what’s called a “Johnson Bar” and what it is it’s just a long lever, it’s made out of wood made here by our ladder shop. Our ladders are made here in San Francisco at the San Francisco Department Ladder Shop. We’re the only fire department that still has a working ladder shop that makes ladders and maintains them all. And this started probably 5 years ago, where each individual — only this truck has this Johnson Bar, each one individualizes their Johnson Bar for the neighborhood. So obviously the Haight-Ashbury District is historic, iconic — you see the Grateful Dead symbol.
HSV: “Steal Your Face” it’s called!
ME: Yes! Peace and Love!
HSV: Yes!
ME: Still sayin’ it, we still need it, right?
HSV: Yes! And it’s interesting, I live on Page and Masonic, and they were doing a drill and it was all wooden ladders and he explained to me that’s because of electrical concerns.
ME: Doesn’t conduct electricity.
HSV: Right.
ME: They’re very solid, there’s less flex in the ladders as opposed to aluminum, so they’re very sturdy. That way you can have as many firefighters travel — some of these ladders are over 80 years old and they’re able to replace rungs or partial sections of the ladder. You see some of the equipment here that is installed by the ladder folks.
HSV: Thank you, ladder people! [laughter]
ME: Yes! And then the companies in the station maintain small amounts of detail on it. Potentially they can get messed up on buildings or burned sometimes if the fire reaches the ladder, which we try to avoid.
HSV: Thanks you! Thanks for explaining that beautiful thing that we all wave to going down Haight Street. That is so cool.
[To Captain Schorr] So you want to show us around the fort?
CJS: Sure! Come on in.
HSV: Alright! I’m so excited!
CJS: You’ll see a lot of the original elements from the 1950s, the open stairways. Because of what we now know about diesel and vehicle exhaust, this is incredibly unsafe [gesturing towards open stairwell]. We actually had to retrofit doors at the top of the stairs that lead to the firefighters’ quarters to try to keep a lot of those dangerous gases and soot and particulates out. The newer firehouses, the few that we’ve had rebuilt in the City — Station #5, Station #1 downtown — have addressed those issues, but a lot of these older firehouses haven’t been updated yet. So it’s just little fixes, like a door at the top of the stairs. But you’ll still see these architectural elements.
HSV: It’s beautiful. My dad was an architect in the Bay Area so I really respect and appreciate.
CJS: Yes. You can also appreciate that it’s 1952 and they want to put a modern firehouse into a historic, beautiful Edwardian-Victorian neighborhood. It’s very difficult to match that.
HSV: [pan to homes across the street] Alright, cool.
CJS: So we do still have the original wood equipment lockers. Each member is assigned a locker and that’s where we keep our firefighting gear.
HSV: So cool.
CJS: This way … We also still use slide poles to get down from the upper levels.
HSV: Wow! That’s amazing.
CJS: Yep. Everything is about the quicker we can get to your emergency, the more effective we can be. And this [gesturing to pole] saves time. The red lights and siren? Save time.
HSV: You guys have helped me out once or twice. [laughs]
There’s somebody up there cleaning …
CJS: Like I said, they’re in the middle of their tri-annual cleaning. All the members take great pride in their firehouse because the shifts that we work are 24 hours. We live, eat, hang together — it’s out second family. We spend a third of our lives with our firehouse families.
HSV: What is it? 4 days on … 3 days …? What’s the schedule like?
CJS: It roughly works out to 1 day on, 2 days off — but it’s important to remember that that’s 8am to 8am the next day. So you miss 2 mornings. I have 2 young kids, so I miss 2/3rds of their mornings. But I get 2/3rds of my mornings with my firehouse family.
HSV: And Daddy is a fireman. That’s pretty awesome.
Oh! Another Stealie! [on fridge]!
CJS: This is what we call company pride. Each company has a mascot, a logo, something that brings them together as a family, as a group, and of course, for Station 12 here in the Haight, this makes perfect sense.
HSV: Are there any Deadheads in the crew?
CJS: You know, I’m not sure. We have a lot of firefighters in from other stations today. Whenever we’re short staffed, we try to bring other.people in from other stations, so I don’t know particularly.
HSV: It’s okay. They like music, I’m sure [laughter]
CJS: Exactly.
Oops. (Cord on floor) Watch your step.
HSV: Yep.
CJS: So each station has a dedicated map of what we call their “first due area”.
HSV: First due area?
CJS: So what this means is that if there’s a fire in this area, Engine or Truck 12 will be the first unit due, or to arrive, at that station.
HSV: Okay.
CJS: Excuse me — at that fire. And the way we determined that in the old days was using this old card case file.
HSV: Omg!
CJS: So what happens — and every firehouse still has these to this day …
HSV: Omg! Is it alright if I pull one out?
CJS: Of course! The City is separated into different boxes for routes of blocks. So this one, for example, is the intersection of Polk and Turk Streets — and again, this is probably from the ‘50s …
[ALARM! Sounds off.] Right now, we’re getting a call. [woman’s voice warning on loudspeaker] So, follow me. The truck is going to get a call [motions for me to follow].
We’ll go back to the card catalog in just a minute.
HSV: Okay.
CJS: So what you heard was the overhead announcement — very loud, very surprising …
HSV: Yes.
CJS: All of the lights came on in the station. Those are automatic lights. Those are still activated via telegraph signal.
HSV: Wow.
CJS: So, in the early days before radio communications were standardized, the fire department used teletype and telegraph, using morse code — number code, excuse me. Got ahead of myself. So what would happen is — and it will make sense when we look at the card box again — is the station would be notified via a series of bells as to which vehicle, whether it was the Engine or the Truck, was due to respond to the call.
So what we have now is the automatic lights still turn on using the same mechanism that was in existence when we had the telegraph that actually came in. So there’s a lot of living history that is still in the San Francisco Fire Department.
Now the newer stations are using specifically modern telephone and computer communications. We do have a backup system here, and of course now we have radio communications that we can use, but the bulk of the correspondence is still on those old systems.
HSV: So they’re getting called somewhere?
CJS: Yep.
HSV: So interesting.
[banter with firefighters]
CJS: So if we come out here, you’ll be able to see this …
HSV: Yep.
CJS: Stand right here.
HSV: Yep. [Ladder truck drives off with siren on]
CJS: And just like that, away they go. Everything stops. Whatever they were doing, they’ll pick up on when they get back.
HSV: Wow. That’s really a moment of understanding the psychology of being a firefighter as well.
CJS: Always ready. Always prepared. Somewhere between the Marines and the Boy Scouts is us. It is a paramilitary organization. We do use the rank and structure of a military but that’s when we’re in an emergency situation. We need to trust and follow the instructions from our officers in order to complete the task at hand.
HSV: And it’s a childhood dream. I have a friend who works for the port of San Francisco and he’s always like, “Ah I always wanted to be the guy in the back driving the … “ you know, it really is …
CJS: Everybody always wants to slide down the fire pole and drive the back of the fire truck without realizing that that’s very little of what we do. Lots of drills, lots of training, lots of preparation. Those drivers need to know the neighborhood inside and out, left, right and up and down, because when they arrive at the scene of an emergency, it can’t be a surprise. They have to know and have a plan when they get there.
HSV: Does that mean a lot of them are native San Franciscans or Bay Area people?
CJS: Not necessarily. The 18-week training program that they go through gets them ready for the community that they’re joining in the fire department. But also at the same time just having that exposure to the City, working in the City, you acclimate very quickly.
HSV: Yes.
CJS: So let’s continue back with the card catalog.
HSV: Thank you, yes!
CJS; So in the old days, what happened is, we would have a ticker-tape machine here, and it would be ticking out different numbers which had what we called different bell codes. So if the bell rang [taps] “One Two One” that means that we were about to get a two-one dispatch, or something with 2 Engines and a Truck. Then we would have to listen to the bells. “1-2-3-4. 1-2-3.” That means Engine 4 Engine 3. Or, if it was a reported fire, it would come out as 3-1-1-4 [pointing] and whoever was taking care of the board at that time — I’m not sure if Engine 12 has their original tag board, we’ll take a look, but this card indicates which fire engines, which fire trucks and which chief officers have to go to that fire.
Every fire station would have the exact same cards and be able to keep track of when they were due at this fire. So for example, we’re at Station 12, and for this fire … let’s see if Station 12 is even listed … nope. So Station 12 would never be dispatched to this fire unless something very, very bad happened.
HSV: Okay. Gotcha. Like the earthquake, 1906.
CJS: Something like that, yes. And then you put it back in order, and there we go.
[ME walks by, CJS asks to let them know we’re coming into the staff room] HSV hi to guy in back on computer; walk to kitchen.
ME: Well, since you’re coming in …
HSV: Is this the kitchen? [laughter]
ME: Yep, this is the kitchen. All firefighters are required to cook. If, myself for example, I didn’t know how to cook when I first came to the fire department. They asked me “do you know how to cook?” I said “no”. They said “do you know how to read?” I said “well, yes”. They said, “well then perfect, then you can cook. Go in the kitchen and start helping the cook.”
HSV: What year was that, do you mind?
ME: 2000.
HSV: Was it at this station?
ME: No, Station 5 on Turk and Webster — the Fillmore.
HSV: Is that where you’re based now?
ME: No, that was my first house, what they call a probationary house. You’re on probation for one year, and they switch you around the City. So I started out in the Fillmore for 6 months on a truck and then 6 months later I moved to Bayview on an engine. Has it been described to you yet the difference between an Engine and a Truck?
HSV: No.
ME: Okay, so the truck which we saw outside is the Ladder Truck, it has the large ladder on it, it has the 5th person on the back who drives it, the rear wheels only. There’s no water on that truck. It’s only ladders and heavy equipment and tools and the breathing apparatus, SCBAs — what’s called “Self Contained Breathing Apparatus” that all the firefighters where inside of the mask. It’s not oxygen, contrary to most reporters! It’s compressed air. Oxygen supports combustion, so we don’t want to accelerate the fire.
HSV: Right.
ME: So that’s a Truck company. An Engine company has 4 personnel and that has a pump, a water tank, and a hose, so their primary function is to go into the building and put the fire out. They have a minimum of 500 gallons of water on each fire engine, and then they can hook up to the fire hydrant or another fire engine can give them another 500.
So that’s the difference between and Engine and a Truck.
HSV: Thank you! Back to the kitchen [laughter].
ME: So, we used cookbooks. This particular house has this cookbook here [closeup The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook.] And every day it goes off a chart, so the chart will say whenever the cook is due. So if they say, “Hey Jimmy, you’re cookin’ today” everyone comes in in the morning and they sign their name on the board — we’ll show you the board here — their name, and if they’re in for lunch and dinner. Those are the two required meals that each firefighter cooks for the day, that they need to make. They make a menu, the more recent since I came in in 2000, was a little more diet oriented. Anyone have dietary restrictions, anyone allergic to anything, and some people have preferences — I don’t eat shellfish, whatever. We had one guy who was in the army and he had salmonella poisoning, he’ll never eat chicken again.
HSV: I hear ya.
ME: So I will say it’s gotten healthier food over the years for the most part. It was a lot of meat and potatoes, stews, a lot, but you’ll see a lot more healthier salads or fish or chicken options these days. But it really is up to the cook for the day.
HSV: I mean, you are what you eat. You guys gotta go out there and do what you do, you need to be well nourished.
ME: If I was the cook for the day, I’d come into here [opens refrigerator] and I’d say what do we have, what can I eat? We got milk, everyone drinks coffee, all firefighters drink coffee, so some people like reduced fat, we got 2 percent …
We have to buy all our food ourselves.
HSV: What?!!
ME: The City does not provide.
HSV: Wow!
CJS: [jumps into camera view] Here’s an emergency right here [picks up an empty bottle of Sriracha; laughter]. Every firehouse in the City is in crisis mode [laughter] with no spicy stuff!
ME: Sometimes we take the leftovers and say, “Hey, I can use some of this meat to make a soup” and we’ll get the potatoes and some celery and onions and carrots and we’ll make a “refrigerator soup”.
HSV: Beautiful.
ME: We do have — the City provides a stove.
HSV: Beautiful.
ME: We have to clean that. Right now we’re in the middle of the tri-annual — a heavy cleaning of the fire station three times a year, where the on-duty assistant chief comes and inspects.
HSV: Justin was mentioning, yes.
ME: And the assistant chief comes in and take a look at the oven and may say, “This needs some work up in here”, but [looking into oven] it’s pretty clean for being used daily.
CJS: We’re feeding 9 people, we have 2 full meals every day, and it looks this gorgeous.
HSV: Better than mine! [laughter]
CJS: Better than mine as well!
ME: So we have all the amenities, and like I said, everyone pays what we call “house dues”. Every member of the fire station is required to pay roughly about 50 to 75 dollars, depending on each station, and that will cover syrup, sugar, toothpicks, coffee …
HSV: That blows my mind that the City doesn’t pay for that. That’s wild. Anyway …
ME: Pancake mix, you know, salt and pepper and all that. I come in here [opens cupboard] I say, hey! Well, we buy all this, the firefighters from each station. That’s what they use to cook for their meals. And the City provides a dishwasher, it’s required.
HSV: Thank you, City.
ME: I think it’s required, 10 or more employees it’s required by OSHA to have a dishwasher.
And we have to buy our own pots and pans, knives — everything.
HSV: No comment!!!
ME: And then we have the, “Hey, I have a headache” … Yeah, we all need some vitamins, perfect, I’ll take some right now.
HSV: No dog food? You don’t have the classic Dalmatian dog in here?
ME: We have actually a rule: No animals in the fire station.
CJS: We do have therapy animals that are available to us. But yeah, due to … things …
HSV: Yes, I totally get it.
CJS: Yeah, the stations don’t have mascots anymore.
HSV: What’s this? [pan up over door] “The original sailor Jerry spiced rum …”
CJS: Decor! Yeah. [laughter]
ME: But here [points to “Last Supper” framed image] But here … this actually may be our last supper. A play on words there …
HSV: Ah.
ME: [points to pots above] Our ladder shop graciously donated a section of ladder that they don’t need anymore, and it’s a pot rack!
HSV: That’s so cool!
ME: Paella dish, so we have some creative cooks.
HSV: Are you a native of San Francisco?
ME: Born and raised in San Francisco, born at UCSF here, grew up in the Mission District.
CJS: A stone’s throw from where we stand.
ME: I went to Sacred Heart. I worked in the Mission District 15 years about five blocks from where I grew up. I’m bilingual, I speak Spanish.
HSV: And you’re here at Station 12?
ME: No, I’m actually the Public Information Officer right now.
HSV: The other PIO, alright.
ME: I was at recruit training, training all the new recruits that come into the fire department. The training center is now on Treasure Island. So I trained roughly about 250 new firefighters.
HSV: How great is that! That must be really rewarding.
ME: Yes, it’s rewarding!
HSV: How old were you both when you first started?
ME: I was 25 when I started here.
CJS: I started as an Explorer Scout at 16. Over 30 years over the long haul. About 22 years here in the City.
HSV: Alright. I’m getting hungry hanging out in the kitchen.
ME: Yeah, right!?
CJS: One other interesting aspect of the architecture I’ll show you. Here’s something you don’t have built into modern fire stations: Here’s an incoming and outgoing phone booth.
HSV: Oh my god!
CJS: So the firefighters could have privacy when receiving or making telephone calls home.
HSV: Wow.
I love the decor in here.
CJS: It’s cobbled together by the men and women that call this place home for a third of their lives. And every photograph, every frame, has a very long, detailed, and honored story behind it.
The station will go on trips together, camping trips, rafting trips, retreats …
HSV: Let me ask you this now that I’m standing here: A lot of people ask me cuz I’m the Haight Street Voice: “How do I get one of those Steal Your Face T-shirts or patches? Do I go up to the station?” I’m not gonna send everybody up here cuz I don’t think that’s the thing to do. Just throwing it out there.
CJS: Let me find out. Can they find the patches and T-shirts online or here at the station?
This is Meyer Gordon, one of our paramedics, firefighter paramedics.
HSV: Hi!
MG: Hi. The Stealies are only allowed to be sold to regular members. That’s the agreement we have because it was made so many years ago.
CJS: So the rules of using trademarked images.
HSV: Oh, I see.
CJS: So only the members can get them.
MG: We do have an alternative T-shirt that looks very cool and people are welcome to come by and anybody can buy one.
HSV: Okay, so you do have some to buy …
CJS: Let’s take a look!
HSV: Okay great, cuz a lot of people ask. [They show the hoodie] Great! Oh perfect.
CJS: Look at that! That’s perfect!
MG: Yeah, anyone can come up and get one.
HSV: So they can come up to the station and ask for a hoodie with the cool logo?
MG: Yes!
CJS: Yes, they can ring the bell and come get one.
HSV: How do you ring the bell? Cuz I tried to do that [laughter]
CJS: We’ll go out front and I’ll show ya!
HSV: [to Meyer] Thank you! Thank you for your service!
MG: You’re welcome!
ME: [pointing to more items in room above door] Here you have a couple of axes that were burned at a fire.
HSV: Oh my god!
ME: Yeah. [pan to framed Giants jerseys] And obviously we support the SF Giants, the 49ers, and an old softball logo shirt, an inter-station softball competition, so Station 12 had their own circa ‘80s jersey you can see there. [pointing to helmet] Someone ran over someone’s helmet here! They must’ve had it on the floor. Nice goin’!
Here is the signup board I was telling you about here, very old-school chalkboard. So he’s signed in for lunch and dinner, Edelman’s signed in for lunch and dinner, Gordon as well, and Murphy. Not everybody has signed in.
And here are car keys in case we need to move your vehicle for whatever reason. Everyone’s got a mailbox. You’ve got some rules and general orders and regulations. You’ve got some figurines.
HSV: [to person in room in back] Thanks for letting me tour the space!
ME: That’s our financial planner [laughter]
HSV: Okay! Thanks financial guy!
Financial Guy: I just make the firefighters happy.
HSV: [laughter] Okay!
CJS: [pointing to Haight Ashbury sign] Of course we’ve got this decoration.
HSV: There you go people of the neighborhood! Woot!
CJS: And as I said, we don’t call them stations like other communities do.
HSV: What do you call them?
CJS: This is a firehouse. This is our home. Like I said, I cannot stress it enough, this is where they work, live, you saw where they eat, you saw where they cook meals together. This is a fire house. And if you drive through the community, you’ll notice that in front of the firehouses, it’s printed “No parking. No stopping. Fire House.” So we really try to stress that.
HSV: Fantastic.
CJS: And let me show you how to ring the bell out front.
HSV: And where are you from originally, Justin?
CJS: I was born and raised in southern California.
So this is the original 1950s doorbell. If there’s no answer, it means that the units assigned to the station might be on another incident or responding to a call, or in a meeting, or cleaning, and they’ll get to you as soon as they can.
We asked that the public not enter the firehouse without being invited because you never know if we’re doing a drill and you can’t see us and we’re about to spray water or we just mopped the floors and it might be slippery, it’s very dangerous. If you just pretend like you’re going to visit someone else’s house, you wouldn’t just walk in the front door, you’d still knock and say hello.
HSV: Fantastic, good to know, thank you.
CJS: Of course.
Let me show you the plaque around the front here. You can get a picture of it. It’s going to have all the details for you about when the house was built. This chronicles the bond measure, when the station was built and also when they took down the hose tower for earthquake safety.
HSV: They took down the hose tower.
CJS: There used to be a hose tower at every fire house because firehoses were made out of cotton, and after every fire we’d have to let the dry completely or else they would mold and deteriorate. We don’t use them anymore. We use a nylon-jacketed hose. We still have to dry them out, but they don’t have to hang dry for days at a time. So the hose towers were removed because they were not seismically safe.
And then the most important plaque that’s on every firehouse in the City is a commemoration of any firefighters that have been assigned to the station who have lost their lives while responding from it.
HSV: Thank you.
CJS: Yes.
And that’s Station 12.
HSV: Okay, so I have a couple questions. Is it okay if I read them to you?
CJS: Of course! I can do my best.
HSV: I won’t put you on the spot.
CJS: Oh, that’s fine.
HSV: [Scrambling with paper] Hang on, kids. I’m a professional, a trained professional. [laughter]
Is there a special pride that comes with serving this particular community with its unique cultural history. What’s one of the best things about working in the Haight Ashbury district?
CJS: I can’t speak for the members here at Station 12 but what I can say is that every firefighter that’s assigned to a specific community takes pride in serving that community and that neighborhood specifically. Hyper local. We have 47 firehouses spread throughout our jurisdiction and every one of those are hyper local to the community.
Just real quick, I can say that in my history earlier as a firefighter paramedic, I did have the opportunity to serve on Engine 12 for a number of days, and it is always exciting to be in a new neighborhood, especially one as eclectic as the Haight.
HSV: Okay, I don’t know if you’ll be able to answer these cuz you’re not at this firehouse, but you might be: The stereotype of partying, lots of drugs, loitering and homelessness in the Haight Ashbury plus the Golden Gate Park concerts, make it prone to emergency calls around those behaviors? A lot of street kids come here. Do you think it affects this station in particular in a different way?
CJS: Not any more than most other stations. Of course being so close to the park, there can be a need for units to respond during special events. We just had a long weekend concert series that was there in the park …
HSV: Outside Lands.
CJS: And just understanding that the resources here at the station are available to anyone anywhere in the community. Doesn’t matter if you live here, work here, or just passing through, or found yourself here. They will respond and assist.
HSV: Do you have any Deadheads at the Station?
CJS: We’ve got folks of all stripes in the fire service: male, female, rock and roll, classical — you name it. We might have a Beatles fan sitting next to a Deadhead sitting next to someone who just wants to go home to play their cello. We’ve got all sorts in the fire service.
HSV: What can we as residents, as a community, this could be for any community, do to make the community a stronger, healthier, better place to live?
CJS: The best thing you can do is start local, and that’s in your own home. Make sure you’ve got smoke detectors in every occupied space, in every bedroom. Make sure you’ve got a carbon monoxide detector installed on every level of your home. Practice a fire escape plan. You can go to sf-fire.org and find resources that will help you build an exit drill for your home. Practice it with your family. Have two ways to get out of the house in case of a fire. Have a meeting place out front where you can congregate after everyone escapes and be able to let Engine and Truck 12 know everyone’s out of the house, or “we can’t find my dad”. Where was the last room he was in? Practice fire safety. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and in your machine room down where your furnace or your water heater may be. Check in on your neighbors, make sure they’re doing okay. If you haven’t seen them for awhile, knock on the door, ask how they’re doing.
HSV: HSV is hyper local with a global perspective. What would you like to say to this community, let alone communities all over the world? Beyond being a firefighter, being a human.
CJS: Let’s take care of each other. Let’s watch out for each other. We’re honored to be able to serve this community and every community where a San Francisco fire engine can respond to. Like I said, each of these stations is a house, it’s a home, it’s where we live. So we’re part of the community. We’re not just coming in for a moment. We’re glad to be welcomed into your home on what could be the worst day of your life. We’re going to make your bad day better.
HSV: [to 5 members of the station hanging outside]: I wanted to thank you! What do you want to say to the Haight Ashbury community?
MWE: We are happy to be here at your service. Whenever you need something, we’re always here to help. If you’re ever interested, please ask a firefighter any question you want when you see them on the street.
HSV: Going to Gus’s Market, gettin’ lunch — I see you guys!
CJS: Buying groceries! [laughter]
ME: We’re always here to help.
HSV: Alright! Peace y’all! Thank you for your service!
[All give peace sign!]
____
Captain Shane Murphy of Station 12 for nearly 20 years:
HSV: Alright Haight Street Voice and I am with Shane Murphy. You’ve been at Station 12 how long?
SM: Close to 20 years.
HSV: Woot! Alright. What’s one of the coolest things about working in the Haight Ashbury?
SM: It’s a challenging area, we’ve got all kinds of buildings and peaked roofs.
HSV: And the homeless thing, and the park, I imagine, all of that?
SM: Yeah, we got all kinds of variety of call volume, so it’s good.
HSV: What would you like to say to the Haight Ashbury community, because this is the Haight Street Voice.
SM: Thanks for coming. We’re happy to serve you guys.
HSV: Alright. And we’re happy you serve us. Thank you, sir. Alright.
SM: Oh yeah.
HSV: A good Irishman! I’m Linda Kelly. Mr. Murphy, thank you!
SM: [smiles, laughs] Yep!
