DIVERSITY AND FIRE PROTECTION

Diversity and Fire Protection

The Fire Department last week was placed in the peculiar position of defending itself against a discrimination lawsuit even as it awaits the results of an exam that was designed to eliminate the past disparate impact that civil service tests have had on black and female candidates for Firefighter.

There is no question that in decades past, members of both groups who won jobs as Firefighters were subjected to discriminatory, sometimes brutal treatment by white colleagues. Although such incidents are increasingly rare now, they created unfavorable perceptions that may have lingered and discouraged some potential candidates from seeking the job.

We have a hard time, however, accepting the claim by Vulcan Society President John Coombs that a lack of diversity in some firehouses in minority areas has had an adverse effect on emergency response service. He cited as an example the large Asian community in Flushing, said that many members of it don't speak English as their first language, and contended that the net effect is that they have difficulty interacting with a mostly male, white firefighting force.

He didn't explain, however, how those language barriers and ethnic differences would be bridged if the local firehouses were staffed by more blacks, Latinos or women.

Yes, it would be better if the firefighting force were more diverse, for a multitude of reasons. But Uniformed Firefighters' Association President Steve Cassidy was on target when he said in response to Mr. Coombs' claim that the greatest reassurance citizens can receive is that in the event of a fire, they will be helped by capable, dedicated firefighters, no matter their skin color or gender.