Assistant Deputy Chief Niels Tangherlini has been a paramedic for 33 years. During that time, he has served in many roles, working on ambulances, fire engines, and helicopters. He holds a bachelor’s degree in social welfare from UC Berkeley. He has used his education to develop many programs aimed at improving the lives of high-need populations, work that informed the development of community paramedic programs and training across the United States.

Assistant Deputy Chief Tangherlini started working as a paramedic in San Francisco for the Department of Public Health in 1994 and joined the San Francisco Fire Department as part of the merger in 1997. After becoming a paramedic captain, Assistant Deputy Chief Tangherlini worked in the field, training, dispatch center, and as the originator of the first EMS based outreach program, EMS6. During his career Assistant Deputy Chief Tangherlini has been involved in planning, training, and response to mass casualty incidents, most notably the Asiana airline disaster in 2013. As the Assistant Deputy Chief for EMS, Niels has worked to support the Department’s growing EMS mission through addressing the needs of EMS crews, leveraging innovative EMS technology, and clinical research. 

He lives in the East Bay with his wife and 3 sons. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his family.