San Francisco Fire Department chief Joanne Hayes-White has announced Monday that she is retiring.

Hayes-White has been the San Francisco fire chief since 2004 when then-mayor Gavin Newsom appointed her.

Hayes-White will stay on as fire chief until her replacement is found.

Here is the full statement from Mayor London Breed:

Today Mayor London N. Breed and Fire Department Chief Joanne Hayes-White announced that Chief Hayes-White will retire from the San Francisco Fire Department. Chief Hayes-White will continue to serve as Fire Chief while a comprehensive search for her replacement is undertaken in order to ensure a smooth transition to her eventual successor.

“I want to thank Chief Hayes-White for her decades of service in our Fire Department, where she worked admirably to maintain the safety and security of the people of San Francisco,” said Mayor Breed. “During her nearly fifteen years as Chief, I worked with her as a Fire Commissioner, as a member of the Board of Supervisors, and now as Mayor to strengthen and improve the Department. I also want to thank her for working collaboratively to ensure that we have stability as we work to select a new Fire Chief. While we identify and select a new Chief, Chief Hayes-White can continue to focus on what matters most to all of us – keeping our residents and visitors safe.”

“My time serving as Chief of the Department has been a distinct honor and has been incredibly rewarding,” said Chief Hayes-White.  “I am proud to have advanced health, wellness, and safety initiatives in our workplaces, and in partnership with the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. I am most gratified that we are one of the most diverse Fire Departments in the world, which adds profound benefits to the ease of our service delivery to the community. As someone born and raised in this great City, I remain proud to serve the Fire Department and the City and County of San Francisco and look forward to assisting Mayor Breed with the transition of a new Fire Chief.”

Chief Hayes-White was appointed Fire Chief by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004. During Chief Hayes-White’s tenure, she advanced the Department into the 21st Century through the use of new technology, tools and equipment and reshaping the provision of prehospital care through the reconfiguration of the EMS Division. She also restored promotional examinations, which led to greater operational efficiency, member satisfaction and accountability.

Hayes-White, a San Francisco native, came to the Department after graduating from the University of Santa Clara with a degree in business. She was hired as a firefighter in April 1990, promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1993 and to the rank of Captain in January 1996. In May 1996 she was made acting Battalion Chief with oversight of the Department’s dispatch and communications systems. Promoted to Assistant Deputy Chief in 1998, she was responsible for the Division of Support Services, the Bureau of Communications, the Bureau of Equipment, the Bureau of Engineering and Water Supply, Management Information Systems, and all facility repairs, maintenance and renovations.  Chief Hayes-White served as the Department’s Director of Training from 2000 until her appointment as Chief of Department.

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