San Francisco Mayor London Breed has announced the appointment of the first LGBT Fire Chief in San Francisco. Christie Smith reports.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Tuesday announced the appointment of San Francisco's first LGBT fire chief.
Breed named Jeanine Nicholson, a deputy chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, as the replacement for current San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, who announced she was retiring last year.
"San Francisco is an incredible city with unique challenges resulting from our dense urban environment and our ever-present earthquake risk. I am committed to meeting these challenges and continuing the work to make our City safer for all residents," Nicholson said.
Nicholson, a 25-year veteran in the department, is also only the second woman to hold the position. The first was Hayes-White.
"Her experience and her resiliency have prepared her to lead the men and women who are out there every day protecting our residents, and I am confident she will be ready to lead the Department on day one," Breed said in a statement.
Breed was also grateful to Hayes-White for staying on after announcing her retirement.
"I also want to thank Chief Joanne Hayes-White for her service and her support as we go through this transition process," she said.
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Hayes-White was first appointed as fire chief by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004. "The City will be in very capable hands with Chief Nicholson leading the San Francisco Fire Department and we’re both committed to a smooth transition," Hayes-White said.
Before Nicholson moved into a leadership position, she was a firefighter in the South of Market and the Western Addition areas, a firefighter paramedic in the Ingleside and Richmond, a lieutenant in Bernal Heights, a captain in the Financial District, and a battalion chief in the Sunset and in Chinatown, according to the city.
