The BFA is affiliated to the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters. The SFBFA was formed as a result of issues concerning African Americans and other minority members of the San Francisco Fire Department. After the riots of '68 the effort to coordinate the response of the fire services and especially minority firefighters began to coalesce. In 1969 they got together to form the IABPFF, a national organization of black fire professionals who felt that active recruitment of youth to jobs in fire service would lead to a solution to fire prevention and end the repeat of long hot summers when inner cities caught fire. Firefighter Kevin Smith, SFBFA president in 2011, said "As an organization, we strive to prepare our members for the unexpected, to learn their craft, advance their careers, and protect and serve the communities in which we work. This is a monumental task that we are committed to successfully achieving. We meet this challenge everyday by demanding job related promotional examinations, fighting for diverse entry level hiring, highlighting the need for job specific training, and participating in the youth developmentfor the future our city." He had previously complained about the bias in the testing process that unfairly excluded blacks and other minorities. In 2018 a black firefighter on fire fuel inspections was reported to the police as 'suspicious'. As a result the Black Firefighters Association sent emails to it members discussing the incident and racial profiling. Also, as a result of black male under-representation in the upper ranks of the SFD, when the current fire chief was selected the BFA did not support the choice.
Mission statement
"We are convinced that the African American and other minority communities have an abundance of untapped talent to offer the fire service. Conversely, we expect to improve the economic development and employment opportunities for minorities."
The BFA hosts learning about the Youth Academy by holding orientation meetings. Youths attend the academy on Saturday mornings and assist with the instruction of first aid, CPR, and various firefighting skills. Instructors lead in supervising shopping trips and home economics classes teaching cooking to youths. Volunteers provide mentoring to youth and providing positive role models and confidantes to a young people in need of direction and guidance from a responsible, caring adult.
