SF Fire Chief Nicholson to step down due to 'medical issues'

San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson will retire at the end of August due to “unforeseen medical issues,” the department announced Friday morning.

“I am proud of the San Francisco Fire Department and the people that work day and night to protect our City and citizens,” Nicholson said in a prepared statement. “It has been a great privilege and honor to serve as your Fire Chief for the past five years.”

Nicholson, who is a breast cancer survivor, did not specify what the medical issues are.

Nicholson had worked in the department for the last 30 years, rising up the ranks from firefighter paramedic, lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, and, finally, to fire chief in 2019.

She is the first openly LGTBQ+ head of the department in The City’s history.

Mayor London Breed described Nicholson as an “incredible leader” who 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 said in a statement. “Chief Nicholson has shown extraordinary leadership and dedication to our great city, and we are indebted to her for her service.”

San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto echoed the mayor's praises, saying Nicholson "exemplified the very best of San Francisco with unwavering commitment and integrity."

"Our shared journey, rising through the ranks and ultimately becoming friends, has been one of mutual respect and collaboration in our mission to keep our community safe," he told The Examiner in a statement. "As Chief Nicholson transitions to a new chapter, I have every confidence that she applies the same strength, resolve and positivity she gave to San Francisco in meeting her personal health challenge now. "

In recent years, Nicholson has been among San Francisco's most vocal opponents of the growing robotaxi presence on The City's streets. She made headlines a year ago when she said Waymo and Cruise’s technology wasn’t ready for “primetime” ahead of state regulators' vote on whether the companies can fully expand throughout The City.

The department has not announced who will succeed her as chief.

The Examiner reached out to the San Francisco firefighters union, Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, the San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office. for comment, but didn’t receive a reply before publication. This story will be updated when we hear back.