SFFD top aide retires, repays firefighters’ union
San Francisco Fire Department truck.
A top aide to the San Francisco fire chief has retired and repaid tens of thousands of dollars in disputed funds back to the firefighters’ union, where she served as treasurer before assuming her command staff position, NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit has learned.
Adrienne Sims, a 25-year veteran of the force, officially retired in early May from her post as chief of staff to fire Chief Dean Crispen, which she assumed when he was appointed in January of last year, city officials say.
WATCH HERETwo sources with direct knowledge of the disputed finances told NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit that of the $50,000 originally in question, about $30,000 has been returned. The head of the firefighters’ union told members Thursday all funds that could not be accounted for have been repaid.
The matter was also referred to local prosecutors, but a spokesman for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office did not respond to a question about the matter.
Sims could not be reached for comment. But in a virtual meeting with members of Union Local 798 on April 24, Sims dismissed the allegations as “nonsense,” while at the same time agreeing to pay back some of the disputed money. She also said she was refusing to sign a letter acknowledging wrongdoing.
“There were charges that were incorrect accounting, and I owned it,” Sims told union members in a video obtained by NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit. “I have willingly – because I want to just make this all go away — offered to pay back any charges that they feel I am responsible for,” she said on the video.
The financial dispute involved union funds, not taxpayer money, union officials have stressed.
While Sims herself did not give the total amount in dispute, she acknowledged part of the dispute was over $6,000 in tickets to a firefighters’ ball and a separate golf tournament dating back to 2023.
Union President Sam Gebler notified union members on Thursday that “actions were taken and we can now report that the funds in question have been repaid to our union.”