Mayor London Breed swears in Sandy Tong as interim fire chief

Sandra "Sandy" Tong was sworn in Tuesday as San Francisco's interim fire chief following the retirement of Jeanine Nicholson.

A native of Chinatown, Tong is the first Chinese American leader the department has had. Tong has worked with the Fire Department for over 35 years.

As deputy chief of the Emergency Medical Services branch, she worked on the paramedicine program and the Street Crisis Response Team, a collaboration between the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the fire and emergency management departments. Rather than strictly law enforcement, the teams provide a combination of responses to people experiencing homelessness, mental health or substance abuse challenges.

"Almost 80% of the calls that come into the department come from the EMS division, and it requires someone who understands, as the deputy chief of EMS," said Mayor London Breed, who chose Tong as the interim chief.

"Those suffering on the streets or experiencing a behavioral health crisis and substance use disorders are better served by those with the appropriate training to meet their specific needs," said Tong, thanking Breed for the appointment and for her support of the EMS program.

Outgoing chief Jeanine Nicholson announced in late July she would retire due to "unforeseen medical issues."  She was sworn in as the 26th San Francisco fire chief by Breed on May 6, 2019. She was the city's second woman and first openly LGBTQI person in that role .

Tong started her career in San Francisco as a field paramedic and later worked in the 911 dispatch center. She later served as a supervisor at Station 49 managing the personnel, fleet and operations of the ambulance division.

Tong earned a bachelor's degree in Sino-Soviet Relations from UC Berkeley and a doctorate degree in Organizational Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology.

"The Fire Commission unanimously supports this decision by Mayor Breed to have Chief Tong serve as the interim head of the San Francisco Fire Department," Fire Commission president Armie Morgan said in a statement.

The commission will continue to search for a long-term fire chief.