San Francisco Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson announced Friday that she will retire at the end of next month due to “unforeseen medical issues.”

Nicholson, SF's first openly LGBTQ fire chief, was appointed by Mayor London Breed to the role in 2019 following the retirement of former chief Joanne Hayes-White.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have served the City and County of San Francisco for over 30 years," Nicholson said in a statement. "I am proud of the San Francisco Fire Department and the people that work day and night to protect our city and citizens. It has been a great privilege and honor to serve as your Fire Chief for the past 5 years."

Nicholson says she will retire at the end of August.

Breed put out a statement praising Nicholson's service, saying, "She and the Department she leads have kept San Franciscans safe through the COVID pandemic and the challenges of the last few years, while also helping launch groundbreaking and life-saving initiatives, like our nationally recognized Street Response Team."

Nicholson did not explain with any specificity what her medical issues are. However, as the Chronicle reports, Nicholson has been candid in the past about her battle with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She had previously said she was in remission.

As Bay City News notes, during her 30-year career in the SFFD, Nicholson suffered second-degree burns in a 2009 fire in which five other firefighters were injured. Nicholson also worked as a paramedic, and became deputy chief of administration, overseeing mutiple divisions of the department.

Previously: SF Fire Chief Fumes Over Self-Driving Robotaxis Blocking First Responders Dozens of Times This Year

Photo via SFFD/Facebook