Nicholas Parson
Northwest Asia Weekly
Fire Chief Eric Hicks
The Jinxian Fire Department is holding a diversity and fairness seminar to recruit more ethnic minorities to join the department.
The King County Fire Chiefs Association (KCFA), a leadership committee that promotes fire protection through legislation and education of the fire department and the public, will host a firefighter recruitment and diversity seminar on December 11. The seminar will host about 120 people. In the one-day event, there will be a keynote speaker and several breakout sessions to prepare participants for the application process of the fire department.
“Our goal is to attract more candidates, a diverse group of candidates, and give them the opportunity to learn more about what is needed to apply, or what the first step is involved,” Vice President Eric Hicks ( Eric Hicks) said. Chairman of KCFA and fire chief of King County Fire Protection District 20.
The breakout sessions of the seminar will cover application requirements such as physical ability tests, psychological assessments and background checks. Hicks said these meetings are aimed at simplifying the application process, which helps to remove the historical barriers that have prevented BIPOC community members, women, and LGBTQIA+ community members from applying to the fire department.
“This is really about participating in the community. You have to be down-to-earth to really go out and recruit people of color and women to work in this industry.”
Hicks said it is important for the fire department to “go out” so that they can best serve the people living in it. He said that the fire department may not be able to reflect the demographic data of the community, which may harm their services, because minorities are more comfortable when they are represented in the department, so increasing diversity and recruiting minorities to join the department can improve Their service.
“If you look at the entire King County, you will find that most fire departments do not reflect the diversity within their communities,” he said. “So, in fact, our goal is to provide access and information to qualified candidates throughout the region.”
The 2020 US Census found that 49.7% of King County are women, 66.2% are white, 7.0% are black, 19.7% are Asian, and 9.9% are Hispanic or Latino. A KCFA report in 2021 stated that, on average, men in the fire department accounted for 95% and whites accounted for 83%. The report pointed out that ethnic minorities often face higher levels of discrimination in the fire department, which may cause obstacles to promotion within the military.
Hicks said that once they hire more women, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ community members to join the force, managers will have to actively strive to be inclusive and respectful. He said that department officials, like assistant directors, must be “proactive” in their strategies to ensure that they create an open and inclusive environment.
“We must ensure that we are always in a leading position and have an open dialogue,” he said. “We must empower the people. If they can’t do it in the fire station, they must feel safe before they can submit the matter to the government.”
More than 120 people registered for the seminar on December 11-41% considered women and 58% considered members of the BIOC community. Although the workshop has reached the maximum occupancy rate, there is still a waiting list where people can continue to register. KCFA will continue to provide biennial diversity and fairness seminars to increase the diversity of the fire department.
“We hope that we can provide them with the best information so that they can take the first step towards applying,” Hicks said.
To register for future seminars, please visit kingcountyfirechiefs.org/king-county-diversity-and-recruitment-workshop-event-registration.
You can contact Nicolas at info@nwasianweekly.com.
