San Francisco fire chief announces spring retirement as commission advances training‑facility planning

Joanne Hayes White, chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, announced at the Oct. 24 Fire Commission meeting that she intends to retire in the spring and outlined department operations and capital priorities, including training, recruitment and recent emergency responses.

The chief told commissioners the department has completed fiscal‑year closeout work and expects budget instructions within about a month. She described an ongoing officers’ academy for recent promotees, the taping of training modules for later review, and an incoming H3 Level 1 EMT class of 24 trainees with a graduation anticipated Nov. 30.

Hayes White and staff described active planning for a permanent training facility. The proposal discussed at the meeting would involve a property swap with Pacific Gas & Electric that could move the department’s Nineteenth & Folsom parcel in exchange for PG&E land near Indian Basin Shoreline Park, a site city officials are testing for fit. Assistant Deputy Chief Tony Rivera told the commission that consultant work estimates the construction cost of a “state‑of‑the‑art” training facility at a little over $110,000,000, not including land costs.

Commissioners pressed for detail on acreage, expansion capacity and whether other agencies would use the site. Assistant Deputy Chief Rivera and Chief Sotto/Sato reported the department’s current candidate parcels total roughly 6 acres (about 1.3 acres at 19th & Folsom and roughly 4.5 acres at Treasure Island) and said the team is still refining what the department will need to accommodate all required props and specialized training.

Hayes White also reviewed recent operations: the department responded to a third‑alarm high‑rise fire earlier in the week and received praise from commissioners for the response; she named the incident commander and key staff and thanked responders for their teamwork. She closed her remarks by telling the commission she plans to retire in the springtime, adding she is “very proud of the accomplishments” during her near‑29‑year career with the department.

Deputy Chief Janine Nicholson, presenting the administrative report, said the ambulance deployment facility contract has been turned over to SJ Amoroso; the budget for that facility is $30,400,000 and the project is scheduled to open in late 2020. Nicholson also briefed the commission on Station 35 CEQA work, upgrades to the mobile command vehicle and ongoing updates to ambulance specifications and training programs.

Commissioners praised the department’s performance at recent large incidents and thanked Hayes White for her leadership. The commission discussed next steps for the training facility, including additional studies, potential inclusion in a 2020 bond and further outreach to the city administrator and potential funding sources. The commission noted that cost and land are separate decisions and that further staff work and public approvals will be required before any construction begins.