San Francisco Fire Department 34 Coastal And Cliff Rescue Unit, 4. Editorial Photo

It is not because San Francisco is a coastal city, but because the waters on the ocean side, the Pacific, along this stretch, have an extra strong undertow, that make the coastal rescue an all to common problem. In addition, there are some very steep cliffs with very loose rock, that cause cliff rescue to be an added concern. The SFFD has two stations that specialize in coastal rescue, but only Station 34 does both coastal and cliff rescue. Using Ford F-150 XLT 4x4, their shop customized them to handle this more difficult type of work. There are also special tires with custom hubs and and stems for getting in as close to the victims as possible. The crews who staff this station also get additional rescue training.