SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPT Challenge Coin. This is a great looking San Francisco Fire Dept challenge coin. Coin is about 1 9/16" in diameter and raised lettering on both sides with a reeded edge. Reverse side is a gold plated St. Florian Patron Saint of Firefighters. Coin is contained in an acrylic air tight holder. The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) provides fire and emergency medical services to the City and county of San Francisco, California. The San Francisco Fire Department, along with the San Francisco Police Dept and San Francisco Sheriff's Dept, serves an estimated population of 1.4 million people, which includes the approximately 850,000 citizens residing in the 47.5 square miles (123 km2) of San Francisco (including Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the San Francisco International Airport, and the Presidio of San Francisco/Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Volunteer companies were first formed in the city in 1850, and a paid staff established in 1866. In 1906, the department was considered on a par with those of the larger cities on the East Coast, but found itself reduced to fighting the fire of 1906 in the quake aftermath with axes and shovels, as most of the city's water mains were broken and cisterns drained.