Mayor London Breed today appointed a new interim chief of the San Francisco Fire Department: Sandra Tong. Tong was the department’s deputy chief of emergency medical services and community paramedics. Not only is she the first Asian American chief, she is also the first San Francisco Fire Chief who did not ascend from the firefighting side of the fire department.
“I have known Sandy Tong for many, many years, and she has consistently stepped up to the plate,” said Breed. “The fire department does an extraordinary job of responding to emergencies and putting out fires and saving lives and doing all the incredible work. But almost 80 percent of the calls that come into the department come from the EMS division, and it requires someone who understands.”
Prior to being named interim chief, Tong was the highest-ranking Chinese American within the department. Deputy Chief of Administration Shayne Kaialoa, whom Mission Local is informed did interview for the job, is also Asian. But he is a Pacific Islander and is not Chinese.
With Chief Jeanine Nicholson abruptly announcing her retirement on July 26, both department insiders and San Francisco politicos anticipated that her replacement, to be appointed by Breed only months before November’s election, would be Chinese American.
Politics aside, fire department veterans spoke highly of Tong. Her colleagues gave high regards to both her personality and her performance in a managerial position. Tong is both “the nicest person in the world” and “an extremely competent manager,” said a veteran firefighter.
Her pedigree as a 35-year-employee on the EMS side of the department, however, led to consternation among veterans on the fire side.
“Traditionally, you get a fire chief that comes from the fire service, meaning they were a firefighter,” a department veteran said in an interview today. “And Sandy Tong, the new chief, is one of those people that has only been a paramedic who only worked on the medical side, and has never been a firefighter.”
What difference could this make? “It’s just that people have concerns that if there’s a major conflagration, if there is an earthquake, if there’s a disaster of some large scale that usually defers to the chief to run the incident … she might have difficulties running an incident and having an intimate knowledge of what’s necessary on the fire side,” the veteran firefighter added.
Another veteran firefighter expressed similar concerns. “We would like to see that job filled from somebody within the command and control structure of the fire suppression, somebody who’s actually worked on a fire engine,” he said. “Not just a medical aid with multiple apparatus people and things going on. There’s no command and control in that respect from the EMS side.”
These concerns were not universal, however. “It’s four months; what can happen?” said a third veteran firefighter, who stressed that Tong is a good person who has been around.
“I think she’ll be good at what she does. She has other people there to take care of things that are her blind spots. And she has a doctorate in administration, so she might be pretty good compared to the last three chiefs we’ve had, to be honest!”
It remains to be seen whether Tong’s appointment can really bring Chinese votes to Breed in her re-election battle. “Sandy is not a well-known commodity,” said political consultant David Ho. “She doesn’t have the prior department head appointees’ sort of historical background that’s involved with the nonprofit sector and the community engagement.”
The firefighters union, which gave its sole endorsement to Breed in the last contested mayoral race in 2018, voted overwhelmingly last month to award its sole endorsement to mayoral candidate Mark Farrell.
Tong has a Ph.D. in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, and used to be outgoing chief Nicholson’s supervisor when the latter was a paramedic in the early 2000s.
“Let me just tell you, she suffers no fools. Don’t take her for granted. She knows what she’s doing,” said Nicholson at today’s ceremony, which also marks her last day in the department. “She is a hard worker and she does the right thing for the right reasons, and I am incredibly comfortable and incredibly confident in passing the torch on to Chief Tong.”
Breed, however, noted Tong’s connection with the local Chinese community. “I am also really happy that she is a native daughter of San Francisco, born at Chinese Hospital in Chinatown,” said the mayor during the ceremony. “She has deep roots in Chinatown.”
“Mayor Breed, thank you so much for this incredible honor,” said Tong. “I am humbled by this opportunity and will serve you to the best of my abilities.”
“Deputy Chief of Administration Shayne Kaialoa, whom Mission Local is informed did interview for the job, is also Asian. But he is a Pacific Islander and is not Chinese.”
Why does that matter ?
Chief of Department is a political position. Breed needs support in the Asian community and in particular, the Chinese community (which is the largest ethnic group of the Asian community) in San Francisco. Tong is obviously a Chinese name and Kaialoa is obviously Hawaiian. For thumbnail politics, every bit helps in the quest for reelection.
Breed needs a political rubber stamp you mean, in an important safety-oriented public service position for which her appointment has zero qualifications or experience, realistically, and zero history.
If you think politics is more important than public service, sure, great pick London Xi.
As an aside, why fire departments are in the EMS business has always caused me to wonder. And trucks and engines going on every stupid little call is a colossal waste of resources.
At first the DEI alarm bells were going off. After further examination, looks like a great choice. Incident command at her level is more about leadership than hose handling. Different skills. Not surprised the fire clubhouse has their traditional panties in a twist.
it’s more sexisit or at the very least affirmative action for women which some poeple don’t have a problem with bc we in a metoo movement. Dei is more of a consideration than anything. I agree she should NOT be even close to this position only reason she had hole down there
No experience in firefighting. This is nuts and just a pilitical hire. Just wait until SF gets that overdue Next Big One on the San Andreas. Fire Chief is NOT a learning position, “think they’ll do just fine” doesn’t cut it when seconds matter. No wonder the City is a mess. And my grandfather was a SF fireman.
The appointment of the new fire chief without fire fighting experience goes beyond the norm. There are more suited qualified firefighters for the position. It makes me wonder the issues behind this promotion.
How ridiculous to hire someone to be the “Chief” who has never worked the job. It’s no different than an airline selecting a non-pilot as the CHIEF PILOT! HAHAHAHAHHAHA
It’s pretty obvious that London Breed just wants to keep her job. She doesn’t care about Ssn Francisco, she only wants to kerp her position to serve herself and her friends. And she is making the Bay Area look bad and hurting California. Breed is just trying to get the Chinese vote. I hope nothing really bad happens to put San Francisco in terrible danger.
Technology no wonder our building burned with improperly repaired fire doors, city housing authority embezzling to cover low retail taxes, now a administrative clerk as fire chief, children running government mayor breed where is the low income housing, actually where is the leadership, MIA like this once great city to used to work for its people not recreating the great fires after the 1906 earthquake, which will return. Absolutely today’s idea od blind leading the ignorant. Elevator out 8 weeks, last permitted February 2021!
As a paramedic, this article accidentally makes the case for why EMS should be its own independent emergency service. The argument is that a paramedic would not understand fire operations. Just the same, a fire fighter who has never worked on an ambulance is unlikely to understand the ins and outs of EMS. Just separate them or give them completely separate management.
This whole article is all over the place, 35 years experience as an EMT but none as a firefighter; another applicant was considered but they’re not Chinese aka not the right kind of Asian; planting the idea that she was appointed to bring in Chinese American votes.
So she is the bureaucrat who created the homeless section of the FD. Lotsa of chiefs and personnel driving around in SUVs and new ADA Sprinter vans who drive by homeless laid on the ground and fentanyled zombies. If this unit encountered a crazy and can’t handle, I’ve seen a full callout including a battalion chief, ALS unit and police. Wasn’t this unit developed to avoid using those mentioned resources? Either bring a patty wagon to a crazy person or a nice new van which has only carried five people in the last six months to drive by and not stop, pick your poison.
Optically a very political move, with no firefighting experience does the rank and file even respect her? Why should they?
This newly appointed Fire Chief of SF…
First, she’s in the hip pocket of Mayor;
Second, she has absolutely no fire
experience;
Third, she’s a female in body strength.
Another example of Dem stupid and
concocted issues. First-responder
status dues NOT make a city wide
Chief of Fire operations, manpower
and equipment distribution, nor union
negotiations.
The world will be a better place when a person is not defined, lauded, or derided for their race, gender or sexual orientation. These are not “qualifications” or “accomplishments.” They literally tell us nothing about a person. (Apologies to those of you who assume all people of a particular race, gender or sexual orientation are alike). The fire service seems complex. I hope this person truly has the skills to excel in SFFD’s principal mission
DEI Hire. Way to go. San Francisco.
Let’s hope it wasn’t just a DEI appointment. The members of SFFD and the citizens of SF deserve better than that. There’s been enough evidence that DEI is a failure.
I agree, the history of white male leadership is a full s#*t show of incompetence and nepotism. Finally we have support for choosing people of all shades and genders.
Have a exam for every level in the department, from entry to top boss,no appointees.
This is exactly why she has got to go. Democrats are so obsessed with someone’s race not Republicans. She is American not Asain. She has asian heritage but she is American. Why even bring it up. The fact that breed brought in that dictator and shit like this is very disturbing.
Asians are the majority in San Francisco. That’s like saying, there should not a white captain in a mostly white area.
It’s like asking a 1452 to be police chief.
Indidntnread the article to find out what I needed to says here. Hiw do you make someone the fire chief if they’ve never been a firefighter. That’s like making someone the Surgeon General ofnthe US and they’ve never been a Surgeon. Or chief of police and they’ve never been a cop. Or the captain of a cruise ship, and they’ve never been on a ship. That’s just completely stupid.
You don’t. If you haven’t fought fire or actually been involved in something that is dangerous, v then you don’t wear the brass or pretend to lead men and women that are betterand braver than you are.
So what they are saying is she Has all her nfpa certificates that says she is qualified for the position ? I’m just saying that there is alot of qualifications that need to be to take that position it’s like haveing a judge from Joe blow off the street handle life and death cases same here the life and death of people is riding on her hands.
Qualifiers for the job: I stayed at a Holiday Inn express”
DEI.
This is a joke. I’m glad she had medical experience, but no experience in understanding fire science, syructural managment, hazmat,physicality of a fire man/women daily job, not something you can learn sitting in the back. It’s not about putting the cold stuff-on the hot stuff, firefighting is serious business. Now if they teamed up an experience fire chief with a deputy chief who is experienced in medical than sure, but giving someone the title of Fire Chief with no experience is asking for trouble
Darius, Chief of Department number 2 is more than capable of running a major incident in San Francisco, to say nothing of the many deputies and assistant chiefs. Sandra has 35 years in Emergency Medical Service (EMS), has been to many fires, and is an excellent leader and administrator. She was at Station 13 downtown for years. EMS in SF has long suffered in the fire department because of the focus on suppression. EMS training never gets the focus that suppression does, despite the vast majority of public contact being on medical issues.
As a firefighter I would not follow her, how can she be Chief and not have any idea of command, fire tactic strategies, how about just FO1 FO2, what about EMT or paramedic. Yep good thing I live in FL.
This is a typical California affirmative action hire. She checks all the blocks except transgender. First Asian islander pacific female Chinese communist blah blah blah, whatever. ALSO First with NO experience. Congrats chief. I wonder how it feels to have your square head banged into a round hole?
What a joke. Just check the boxes and be one of the friends or supporters. That’s it no experience needed. And none of the equipment will fit her. London Broil does it again.
Only in sf mane….we shooting our star players…we got a damn firefighter chief who’s never seen a fire. We just keep holding up l’s because of our idiot politicians. This place gonna turn me republican lol.
I am not a firefighter or EMT but I cannot imagine appointing a fire chief with no firefighting experience. As a 70yr old female, I just see this as another example of DEI.