San Francisco fire chief retires after 30-year career

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - Sunday markes a major turning point for the San Francisco Fire Department. 

Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, the city's first female fire chief, is retiring after 30 years on the job; half of those as chief. 

She picked this date to retire to honor her longtime friend, the late Mayor Ed Lee, who was born on May 5. He would have been 67 years old.

Hayes-White is a San Francisco native. 

And she's had a distinguished career. She is the longest serving fire chief of any major U.S. city: 15 years. 　

In 1990, she began her career as one of the city's first female firefighters. She rose through the ranks. 
　
In 2004, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed Hayes-White as fire chief. She has weathered controversies and challenges. Hayes-White came under fire in 2014 from the firefighters' union and calls for her resignation for slow response times by ambulances.
　
"It's not a popularity contest. I had to make some tough calls, but they were the right ones. Looking back, I don't have any regrets," said Hayes-White. "As chief, I would never expect anyone to do anything I wasn't willing to do myself or wasn't capable of doing myself. I think that served me really well." 

She says she's proud that she has a diverse and talented staff, many whom she hired. 
Hayes-White takes great pride in raising her three sons. 

She says she hopes she's taught and led by example to them and to young women who look to her as a role model. 

"It's not a popularity contest. I had to make some tough calls, but they were the right ones. Looking back, I don't have any regrets," said Hayes-White said earlier. "As chief, I would never expect anyone to do anything I wasn't willing to do myself or wasn't capable of doing myself. I think that served me really well."