San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie signed legislation last week that will allow the city to accept private donations to replace fire engines, ambulances and trucks.
The measure was co-sponsored by Board of Supervisors president Rafael Mandelman and District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan.
National fire safety guidelines recommend that fire trucks should be replaced after 15 years and taken out of service after 25. For ambulances, the guidelines say they should be replaced after five years and retired after seven.
More than 60 percent of the department’s fire engines and 90 percent of its fire trucks and ambulances are older than their recommended service life. Some fire emergency vehicles are 50 years old.
