Civil war breaks out at California city’s fire command after chief finds poster targeting multiple female firefighters

By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-09-17 15:11:52 | Updated at 2026-09-17 16:24:29 1 hour ago

A San Francisco fire station is in a state of disorder after a poster mocking multiple female firefighters forced a mass shakeup.

The poster, discovered last month at Fire Station No. 8 on Bluxome Street in the city’s South Beach neighborhood, mocked several female and one male firefighter who were on leave.

Seen on the poster’s top were the words, “Stress…it’s an epidemic!”

A poster mocking several San Francisco firefighters led to a command shakeup at Fire Station No. 8 on Bluxome Street in San Francisco. NBC

The poster was discovered last month. NBC

Dean Crispen, Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department, is pictured in San Francisco. City and County of San Francisco

Another posting in the middle read: “California state hospital for the criminally insane. Restricted area. No weapons beyond this point,” with an arrow pointing to three people on the right. A small paper on the bottom of the poster says, “Station 8 INVESTIGATES.”

The poster mocks one of the firefighters for having an allergy to the flame-retardant protective clothing firefighters wear, known as turnout gear.

It’s unclear who made the poster. Fire officials are investigating.

The fury from the poster’s sighting has prompted fire officials to reassign four lieutenants, two captains, and three battalion chiefs away from Station No. 8, a department official told NBC Bay Area.

Officials spotted the poster in a common area during a recent visit to the station, NBC Bay Area reported.

San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen quickly told a group of female firefighters that he felt the poster was “inappropriate and derogatory.”

Crispen, who took the helm at the department in January of last year, issued a memo to the department warning them against any workplace harassment.

“Upholding a respectful and professional environment is essential to the safety, trust, and integrity of our department,” Crispen wrote earlier this month.

The department said publicly that they took corrective action after they “became aware of potentially inappropriate material posted at a workplace.”

“The San Francisco Fire Department is committed to promoting and maintaining a safe and healthy work environment where every individual is treated with civility, dignity, and respect,” the department said.