With the holidays upon us, many San Francisco firefighters partake in an old tradition: competitive station decoration.
The Frisc recently spent a couple afternoons visiting most of the Fire Department’s 44 stations to judge for ourselves which are best dressed.
Some stations were decked out with candy canes and snowmen patrolling rooftops like sentinels. Others were less inspired — or apparently not at all.
Maybe they needed a few extra days, seeing how there’s been bad weather and a blackout to contend with.
Four stations — Nos. 12, 18, 35, and 39 — won the contest. We had favorites too, but not necessarily because of holiday adornment. Some blend into their surroundings, some stand out with modern touches, and some are just plain odd.
Like its neighborhoods, San Francisco’s fire stations are a study in contrasts, moods, and textures.
To map our route, we leaned on retired bike messenger Bernie Kellman to guide us to the path of least resistance through the many hills. Thanks, Bernie!
Check out the slide show of the stations we visited. The four contest winners are at the end. (All photos by the author.)
Station 5, Turk and Webster Streets. One of the department’s most modern. 
Station 42 on San Bruno Avenue. The Portola’s station looks like it came from the Shire. Captain Bilbo Baggins, perhaps? 
Station 1 on Folsom Street, South of Market. Home of the Alley Cats squad. 
Station 15 on Ocean Avenue has a mural depicting firefighting exploits of bygone years. Bonus: hook and ladder sighting. 
Station 2, the Chinatown station. 
Station 3 on Post Street serves the Tenderloin and was dubbed one of the busiest stations in the nation a couple years ago. Not much to look at, but it has lovingly detailed lamps. 
Station 7 on Folsom Street. One of the city’s largest stations, SFFD calls it “the Guardian of the Mission.” 
Station 8, Bluxome Street. Could this be SoMA’s biggest (or only) snowperson? 
Station 13, Financial District. This one’s about to get completely redeveloped. 
Stations 9 and 49: A combo, where all city medics are stationed. It’s guarded by an ornate gate and, apparently, a turkey baster. 
Station 23, 45th Avenue near Judah. It was so inconspicuous, we nearly missed it. 
Station 28, North Beach, is an exemplar of architecture simplicity. Squint and you’ll see the Italian tricolor homage in the station’s lettering. 
Station 29, Vermont and 16th Streets. More simplicity. Even better than the holiday decorations was the sinister shadow. 
Station 31, 12th Avenue. This Inner Richmond station is one that blends in seamlessly with the neighborhood. Seems to be a theme on the west side. 
Station 33 on Capitol Way. The southernmost station in the city. 
Station 40, 18th and Rivera. Another west side station that looks like someone’s home. Except for the fire truck parked inside. 
Station 43, across from Crocker-Amazon. Excelsior! 
Winner: Station 12, Stanyan Street near Parnassus. If there’s ever a fire on Mount Sutro, these folks are right there. 
Winner: Station 18, 32nd Avenue and Ortega Street. The winning decorations weren’t lit up when we visited. 
Winner: Station 35, on the Embarcadero. The station’s decorations were cool, but also … fire boats! 
Winner: Station 39, Portola Drive, on the north side of Mt. Davidson. Nice holiday swag, with extra points for the palm tree.