San Francisco voters to decide whether to lower firefighters' retirement age
San Francisco voters will decide in November whether to lower the retirement age from 58 to 55 for the city's firefighters, who risk cancer and death as part of their job.
If more than half of voters on the Nov. 5 ballot approve the amendment to the city charter, members of the San Francisco Fire Department hired after Jan. 6, 2012, would secure more retirement benefits at an earlier age.
Supervisor Catherine Stefani -- one of the supervisors who sought to tack the measure onto the ballot -- saw the measure as much-needed protection for firefighters.
"I sponsored this charter amendment for a simple reason: We can and must do better to address the unacceptable cancer rates of our brave members of the fire department," she said during the board's regular meeting Tuesday.
The San Francisco Fire Department has lost more than 300 of its firefighters to cancer in less than 20 years, and 200 current and retired firefighters have active cancer claims, according to Stefani. Moreover, rates of breast cancer among San Francisco's female firefighters are six times higher than the national average, she said.
Of the approximately 1,800 positions in the San Francisco Fire Department in 2024, about 1,600 of them serve in the field or on the front lines, according to the board's agenda packet for Tuesday's meeting.
"A life of service to San Francisco shouldn't end with a battle against cancer," Stefani said. "To limit exposure to carcinogens and other instances of trauma, we should reduce incentives for firefighters to stay on the job longer than they absolutely must."
The amendment would increase employer contributions by $10.2 million in fiscal year 2026, rising to $21.2 million by fiscal year 2040, according to the agenda packet.
Though San Francisco projects a $799 million budget deficit over the next two fiscal years, according to the city's Ethics Commission, Stefani maintained that lowering the retirement age could help preserve the health of firefighters as they age into their positions.
Stefani did not immediately respond to requests for comment on staffing levels at the San Francisco Fire Department and how the charter amendment may impact the city's budget shortfall.
"Protecting firefighters from cancer and other severe health complications isn't controversial," Stefani said. "At least it shouldn't be."
The board's unanimous vote to put the measure before voters came after Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson cited "unforeseen medical issues" in a recent announcement that she would retire at the end of August. Nicholson is a survivor of breast cancer and former board member of the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation.
Interest in decreasing the retirement age for firefighters is among several other moves by San Francisco supervisors to boost benefits for the city's workers.
During its meeting Tuesday, the board also gave a preliminary "green light" to a fund that would forgive student loans and job-related educational expenses accrued by the city's first responders during their employment. The proposed fund would serve police and fire department workers, paramedics, registered nurses and 911 dispatchers, supervisors and coordinators.
The board also sent another charter amendment to the November ballot last week that would financially incentivize police officers to delay their retirement.
