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Filed Under:Ambulance, Chris Filippi, Ed Lee, Fire Chief, Fire Commission, Joanne Hayes-White, Mayor, No Confidence, Response Time, San Francisco, San Francisco Fire Department, Vote
San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)


SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— After 150 firefighters gave the San Francisco fire chief a vote of no-confidence regarding her job, the city’s fire commission met behind closed doors to discuss her job performance in a closed-door meeting Thursday night.

Fire Commissioner Ken Cleveland said he’s disappointed by the no-confidence vote by some members of the rank and file and has called the action against the embattled Chief Joanne Hayes-White, who has come under recent criticism for reports of slow ambulance response times, “pre-mature.”

“There’s no reason in the world for us to jump the gun here without having some very defined performance standards to which she is to be held,” he said.

Hayes-White said she is reaching out to employee groups and thinks progress is being made.

“I love this job. I love this department. I take a lot of pride in being a native San Franciscan and feel very affirmed at this point,” she said.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has stood by Hayes-White and said he and the Fire Commission have the responsibility of evaluating the chief’s performance.

Hayes-White has held her position for the last 10 years.

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