Public-safety and utility officials announced Wednesday that the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department will soon have another tool to keep the public safe — an agency-wide set of multi-gas detectors slated to be distributed to the city's emergency-response vehicles.
The devices, which can detect natural gas, carbon monoxide and other toxic vapors, were donated by San Diego Gas & Electric and will be delivered to all 52 SDFRD stations this year, officials said during a morning briefing at San Diego Fire Station 45 in Mission Valley.
"When our crews arrive on scene, safety and seconds matter," San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell said. "It's important that our firefighters have the tools they need to safely inspect and respond to potential gas incidents."
More than 1,000 SDFRD personnel will soon be trained on how to use the detectors, according to the fire department.
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In 2021 and 2022, San Diego firefighting units responded to roughly 1,400 natural gas-related calls in the city, according to department officials. Such situations can rapidly become dangerous for first responders if they lack access to the proper monitoring equipment, and confined-space rescues and spills of fuel and hazardous materials also can become life-threatening if toxic chemicals are not identified early enough, officials noted.
The donated devices detect the presence of oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide and combustible gas at concentrations known as lower explosive levels. If dangerous amounts of a toxic gas are present, the detectors use an alarm system that generates an audible, visual and vibrating alert.
The equipment was purchased with SDG&E shareholder dollars, not ratepayer funds, officials said.
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"Safety is at the heart of everything we do at SDG&E," said Kevin Geraghty, chief operating and safety officer for the utility company. "We take pride in supporting our first responders, who put their lives on the line every day to protect our families, neighbors and SDG&E crews."
