San Francisco Fire Chief`s Problems Complicated by Calls for Resignation

Sept. 28--San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White's job has never been easy -- but no one's ever called for her head. Until now.

The city's first female fire chief, appointed in 2004, has weathered a series of controversies over the past decade, including lawsuits over promotional exams, scandals over firefighters drinking on duty and the death of a young woman who was run over by two Fire Department rigs after last year's Asiana Airlines crash at San Francisco International Airport.

But her latest issue -- ambulances taking too long to respond to medical emergencies -- has caused a crisis of confidence that could end her career.

The department's struggle to get ambulances to emergencies quickly has resulted in calls by firefighters unions for Hayes-White to step down and set off a debate among city leaders about whether she has failed as chief or is being attacked unfairly.

Supervisor London Breed first raised the issue of Hayes-White's departure two weeks ago, stopping just short of calling for her resignation but saying she has lost faith in the chief. In a pointed letter last week to Mayor Ed Lee signed by the leaders of San Francisco's rank-and-file firefighter organizations, workers complained that the department is "failing in its most basic of missions," and called for a change in leadership.

Lee says no to firing

Despite all the noise, it appears unlikely detractors will succeed in ousting the chief. Hayes-White's supporters -- the mayor included -- say the criticisms are unfair. Lee has rejected calls for her departure.

Critics inside and outside city government say they are troubled by the department's problems getting ambulances to medical emergencies within its own standard -- 10 minutes. The delays have been the subject of public discussion since at least March.

Last week, a Chronicle analysis of a year's worth of data showed there were more than 400 incidences over a year-long period in which it took longer than 10 minutes to get an ambulance to a life-threatening emergency -- and more than half of those cases were on the city's southern rim.

Hayes-White said this week that response times are already improving, following the rollout of 16 newly hired medics last month and an increase in the number of private ambulances serving the city -- and will get even better as the department gets a fleet of new ambulances in the coming year.

But Tom O'Connor, president of the San Francisco Firefighters Union Local 798, said Hayes-White should have been able to foresee the staffing and equipment issues coming years ago -- and has had months to fix things, but failed to make the case to the mayor's office.

"This administration constantly reacts to crises, headlines -- but every crisis, every headline has been completely foreseeable," he said. "My members don't feel the chief has their back or understands what it's like (for them)."

Job tough as they come

Rich Callahan, chairman of the University of San Francisco's department of public and nonprofit administration, said public sector leaders such as Hayes-White work in "as complex a leadership environment as you can find in any sector" -- it's a far more difficult role than being a tech executive, for example.

"That complexity does not in any shape or form compare to leading a public sector agency, particularly in San Francisco, which is a combined city and county," said Callahan, an expert in government leadership. "Whether it's the fire chief or anyone else, it's complex structurally, politically -- and public safety adds another level of complexity."

He said the only way to truly measure success in a job like Hayes-White's is to establish performance measures and determine what resources are needed to meet those goals.

In a letter she sent to department employees Tuesday, Hayes-White noted that she has asked for money to solve the ambulance issues and was only given about one-third of what she requested this fiscal year by Lee's administration.

She also painted calls for her to step down as an "unfortunate distraction" pushed by labor and said she is proud of what she has accomplished as chief.

Chief defends herself

"For the last 10 years, I have proudly and honorably served as your fire chief. During my tenure, I have worked diligently to lead the department, balancing public service and members' welfare," she wrote. "Along with my command staff, I have moved this department forward in the areas of hiring, promotions, employee accountability, fiscal responsibility and policy development, which have all forged our organization ahead, including through the fiscal difficulties that have plagued the city for over five consecutive fiscal years."

While union leader O'Connor feels Hayes-White doesn't have the backs of his members, plenty of people in city government have hers -- and some raise a new issue.

On Thursday, dozens of people packed the Fire Commission meeting to support the chief, including Police Chief Greg Suhr and Recreation and Park Director Phil Ginsburg. Six female department heads sent a letter to the commission, which hires and fires the chief, expressing their support for Hayes-White, citing her accomplishments and questioning the motives of critics.

"As women leaders, we know that outspoken, strong women can particularly be vilified or attacked for taking unpopular positions, saying 'no' and otherwise asserting themselves," stated the letter from Human Resources Director Micki Callahan, Health Services System Director Catherine Dodd, Public Health Director Barbara Garcia, Department of Emergency Management Director Anne Kronenberg, Port Director Monique Moyer and Department on the Status of Women Director Emily Murase.

Widespread support

"This tendency is exacerbated when the woman leads in a profession dominated by men, as in the case of our own fire chief," they wrote.

Not everyone thinks there are sexist undertones to the criticism. The employee letter, noted 19-year department veteran Kathy Gilbraith, was signed not only by the union, but by groups representing female, LGBT, black, Latino and Asian firefighters.

Thomas Doudiet, who retired in 2012 as an assistant deputy chief after three decades with the department and counts Hayes-White among the best chiefs he worked with, also does not believe the criticism of the chief is based on her gender.

He placed the blame squarely on the mayor and Board of Supervisors, whom he said "would rather stick their heads in the sand and spend money on pet projects, things that politicians perceive will earn votes, until something becomes critical, like the ambulance fleet falling apart."

"And when it does, who do they point their fingers at? In this case, the Fire Department head who has been asking for years for money," he said.

Chronicle staff writer Greta Kaul contributed to this report.

Marisa Lagos is a San Francisco Chronicle

staff writer. E-mail: mlagos@sfchronicle.com Twitter @mlagos

More coverage

To read The Chronicle's coverage of San Francisco Fire Department issues, including the problem of slow ambulance response times, go to: https://sfchron.cl/1vbuz5E

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