San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson announced her retirement Friday.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have served the City and County of San Francisco for over 30 years. Today, I am announcing that I will retire at the end of August due to unforeseen medical issues. I am proud of the San Francisco Fire Department and the people that work day and night to protect our City and citizens. It has been a great privilege and honor to serve as your Fire Chief for the past five years," she said in a statement posted to the department's Facebook page.
Mayor London Breed praised the chief for her tenure, accomplishments and dedication.
"Chief Nicholson has been an incredible leader for the San Francisco Fire Department and is retiring with a distinguished and decades-long record of public service. She and the Department she leads have kept San Franciscans safe through the COVID pandemic and the challenges of the last few years while also helping launch groundbreaking and life-saving initiatives, like our nationally recognized Street Response Teams..."
Breed appointed Nicholson in 2019 to replace Joanne Hayes-White.
She had 25 years with the department and was serving as deputy chief of administration when she topped the other two candidates.
Susan Nicol | News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.
