Three Candidates Eyed for San Francisco Fire Chief

STOCKTON — Stockton Fire Chief Erik Newman is one of three candidates being considered to replace the fire chief in the City by the Bay, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.

The San Francisco Fire Commission has submitted Newman's name to Mayor London Breed, along with the city's Deputy Chief of Administration, Jeanine Nicholson, and Fire Battalion Chief Michael Thompson, the Chronicle reported.

Newman said on Monday he expects to learn a decision from San Francisco sometime this week.

"This was a very difficult decision, because I consider myself a loyal person," Newman said of applying for the SF post. "But being given the opportunity to lead a department in the city where I was born and raised has been a lifelong dream."

In October, San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White announced she would be stepping down from the post after 15 years and four months.

Hayes-White was the first woman to lead the SFFD, and the city's longest serving chief.

Shortly after her announcement, Newman said several colleagues from the SFFD let him know the position was open and that the city was looking for candidates.

Newman said his superiors in the city of Stockton are aware of his candidacy and have been supportive.

"Because of our high caliber and well trained employees, many of our staff are constantly recruited," Stockton City Manager Kurt Wilson said. "Chief Newman is well-regarded within his profession both regionally and nationally. While it would be a loss for Stockton we are supportive of professional opportunities for our staff."

Newman said San Francisco is the only city he would leave Stockton for, and if he is not selected as its new chief, he will pat himself on the back for applying and continue to lead Stockton's department.

"My boss knows, and a lot of people (at City Hall) know," he said. "They know San Francisco is a major city, it's a major fire department, and to be even considered in the top three is really humbling."

Newman began his firefighting career with the Richmond Fire Department in the East Bay, spending 20 years there. He then served five years as a senior deputy fire chief with the Las Vegas Fire Department before becoming Stockton's fire chief in 2015.

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