Overview
- SFFD has begun receiving deliveries and expects all 1,100 UL-certified, NFPA-compliant sets—one per frontline suppression member—by December 31, 2025.
- The department selected Fire-Dex gear built with Milliken’s Assure non-PFAS, flame-resistant moisture barrier after a 90-day wear trial with 50 firefighters.
- The $3 million purchase includes a $2.35 million FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant and matching local funds, with about 80 sets already in service.
- San Francisco’s May 2024 ordinance banning PFAS in turnout gear and California’s AB 1881 signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this fall set the policy framework for the transition.
- Local leaders also funded $500,000 for firefighter cancer screening, as groups report more than 400 SFFD cancer deaths since 2006 and the CDC identifies cancer as a leading firefighter killer.