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Second Letter Sent To Mayor Lee Asking For San Francisco Fire Chief's Removal

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— The San Francisco Fire Chiefs Association has joined rank and file groups in calling for the removal of Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White and now they're pressuring Mayor Ed Lee to react.

A second strongly-worded letter was sent to the mayor asking him to dismiss the chief after the first came from several rank and file groups and the firefighters union.

This latest letter, signed by battalion chief Bryan Rubenstein said ambulance response time is only one concern and that there's a crisis of confidence in the current administration.

Second Letter Sent To Mayor Lee Asking For San Francisco Fire Chief's Removal

"What we need is a leader who's able to make a plan looking forward, articulate that plan to their subordinates and to city hall in the best way possible so that we're better able to serve the public," Rubenstein said.

Mayor Ed Lee said he's working with firefighters to come up with a plan to reduce emergency response time and deal with their other issues with the chief, but he's not ready to get rid of her.

"We're not there yet. We're actually assessing what everyone's opinions are and making sure we have facts in front of us and not just opinions," said Lee.

The battalion chief and division chiefs who provide logistics in the field during fires and other emergencies, signed the letter, but it was not signed by deputy chiefs who make up her command staff.

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