by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
As part of a new, aggressive minority recruiting program the City’s Fire Department will seek to partner with businesses and churches in the black community to offer fire school scholarships the department’s equal opportunity officer said Friday.
Richard Greenwood said the department wanted the first scholarship students to enter Florida Community College at Jacksonville’s fire school at the beginning of the year. New department hires must complete classes in firefighting and emergency medical training and be certified by the State. Greenwood said the scholarship program should help increase the number of minorities within the department.
“We’ve already contacted several black churches,” said Greenwood. “Hopefully, we’ll kick this program off by the first of next year.”
The four–month FCCJ program costs about $2,400, including tuition, books and processing fees. Greenwood said it had been difficult in the past for low income applicants to afford that cost as well as the cost of missing four months of work.
Once certified, applicants often waited as long as a year to find out whether they would be hired, according to department members who spoke to the mayor’s transition team.
“This will make it easier for applicants to to go to school for four months and essentially not have any income,” said Greenwood.
Sponsors from minority neighborhoods would benefit two–fold said Greenwood. In addition to earning a tax credit, Greenwood said the sponsors would ensure their neighborhoods were represented on the force.
“It’s important for every community to be involved in their own protection. Often times, these firefighters are stationed in their own neighborhood; they know the people there and the area,” said Greenwood.
As for the year–long waiting list, Greenwood said the upcoming mass exodus of about 200 firefighters to retirement as part of a deferred–pension program would clear the decks for applicants in waiting.
Greenwood said the waiting list currently has 200 names.
The sponsorship program is one aspect of the department’s Equal Opportunity/Equal Access plan released Friday. Greenwood prepared the plan under the direction of new fire chief, Richard Barrett. Greenwood said Barrett directed him to come up with a plan that would maintain minorities currently working in the department and create a more diverse environment, adding more minorities and women.
Barrett replaced Ray Alfred, who was the City’s first black fire chief. Alfred’s appointment from out-of-town by former mayor John Delaney, riled some department veterans. Later, Mayor John Peyton’s campaign pledge to replace Alfred irritated department minorities, who already complained of a divisive, sometimes hostile working environment, according to statements given the transition team.
Each candidate for chief was asked by the team how he would repair race relations within the department. Barrett compared the racial differences to the problems of any large company and said better communication would unite the department.
Improved communication is a major component of Barrett’s plan. It will introduce roundtable discussions about cultural differences and sensitivity training for department leaders.
Greenwood said he interviewed department minorities while developing the plan. Those interviewed are hopeful, Greenwood said, that the new leadership will heal some of the racial differences, but want to see the plan translate to action.
“African Americans within the department are basically taking a look–see approach right now. We want to continue with a diverse department and be more culturally sensitive as well. Many African American firefighters are hoping the department does what the plan says,” said Greenwood.
Beyond a happy workforce, Greenwood said the department has financial incentive to build diversity. If the department’s minority ratio falls drastically out of step with the City’s make up, State grant dollars could be lost.
“We have to keep our numbers right to keep the grant money coming,” said Greenwood.
Greenwood said the department currently employs 23 percent minority firefighters. He said the last census numbers showed eligible-to-work blacks comprising about 16 percent of the Duval County population.