The smaller vehicles — nicknamed “Vision Zero” fire engines after The City’s initiative seeking to reduce traffic collision deaths to zero by 2024 — could also go a long way toward reducing tensions between the department and pedestrian and bicycle advocates over street safety improvements.

The Fire Department has begun the ordering process for six more of these Vision Zero engines, Deputy Fire Chief Tony Rivera told the San Francisco Examiner.

In recent years The City has gone on a design spree, widening sidewalks with safety bulb-outs and narrowing streets with protected bike lanes.

The changes increase pedestrian and bicycle safety, but can wreak havoc with the tight turning radius of older, larger fire engines.

Exploits Search and Rescue has ditched its 1987 school bus in favour of a new $350,000 mobile command centre.

The volunteer search and rescue team unveiled the new machine, a converted freightliner truck, on Feb. 1.

Training sessions with the new piece of equipment have begun, and the group says the truck promises to make life easier in the field.

"We can pull up to a scene, start the generator within a matter of seconds, and we have everything available to us to start the search immediately," explained Trevor Miller, a spokesperson for the group.

"It shortens our timeframe."