Sign-On Letter: Protecting Our Neighborhood from Post-Earthquake Fires and Conflagrations
- John Crabtree
- Dec 30, 2025
- 2 min read
Sadly, in 2026, across more than half of San Francisco, residents of the city are still far too unprotected against post-earthquake conflagrations and firestorms, especially after a massive earthquake anywhere near the scale of the 1906 quake (magnitude 7.9).
When The Big One comes, and every San Francisco resident knows that it will, a majority of the city will be threatened by fire just as happened in 1906 when as much as 80% of the damage and deaths occurred in the fires, conflagrations and firestorms that raged for over 3 days. Moreover, when that happens in areas of the city unprotected by the Auxiliary Water Supply System (AWSS), the protected parts of the city will be threatened by uncontrollable firestorms as well.
In 2021, 66 retired firefighters - Chiefs, Battalion Chiefs, Captains, Lieutenants and rank & file Firefighters - penned an open letter to city leadership calling for the city to expand AWSS and bring Equal Fire Protection to All in San Francisco.
Because so little has changed in this regard over the last 5 years, we are asking as many San Francisco residents as possible to affix your names to the sign-on letter below, in support and endorsement of the call from those retired firefighter leaders and to renew the call for expanding AWSS to unprotected portions of the city.
By coming together as a community, we can move the city back onto a path that leads to AWSS expansion and Equal Fire Protection for All in San Francisco and in our neighborhood. This sign-on letter is a crucial first step in advocating for the expansion of AWSS fire protection for all our homes and families. When we unite in this way, gather signatures of other supporters, and push for the changes we need to ensure a safer community and environment, we all win.
Take action today — sign the letter and encourage your family, friends and neighbors to do the same. Together, we can protect our community from fire and post-earthquake conflagration, and much more.
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