After an almost entirely white class of paramedics was hired at the Lansing Fire Department in 2019, Mayor Andy Schor said he was “disappointed” by the lack of diversity in the ranks. And over the last two years, his administration has kept focused on recruiting more people of color.
But are the efforts paying their dividends? The answer isn’t so straightforward.
The latest hiring round brought nine staffers to the department this year. Six of them identify as people of color. And while the department is actually less diverse than it was in 2019, Schor said he’s “proud” of his administration’s work to hire employees who are racially reflective of the city.
“Hopefully it’s more than baby steps. It’s middle-sized steps,” Schor explained. “I’m very optimistic that as people retire, we’ll be able to bring in diverse classes. It’s very, very difficult. That’s the case in fire departments across the country. I don’t know why it’s so difficult, but it is.”
Criticism mounted against Schor in 2019 after the Fire Department released an image of nine recently hired paramedics. All of them pictured — save for one Latino — were white men. Former Chief Randy Talifarro also came out against Schor, pointing to an “extremely uncomfortable” workplace that created a culture that stifled recruitment of diverse talent.
In response, Schor rolled out a plan that involved creating a youth cadet program and identifying a more appropriate mix of licensed paramedics and lesser trained emergency medical technicians. He also doubled down on efforts to cast a wider hiring net for people of color.
And in January, those efforts started to show results in Lansing. Of the nine employees most recently hired at the Fire Department, six of them are identified as people of color, including three Black people. Schor labeled the more diverse mix as a sign of successful hiring reforms.
“It’s not there yet, but it’s close. We need more. We’d like to have the diversity match our city, and we’re getting there,” Schor said. “You want those who respond, especially those who are forward facing to the public, to be able to share experiences with those they are protecting. With some people, it’s a trust factor. People can just relate better when they can see that diversity.”
Fire departments nationwide have long struggled to attract minority applicants. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 95% of all firefighters are men and 85% of them are white. In Lansing, that makeup is 94% men, 70% white, according to records provided by Schor’s office.
But despite the latest class including six more people of color, racial disparities have only widened across the department’s roster over the last few years. Black employees accounted for about 19.2% of the Fire Department in 2019. In January, that percentage was tallied at 18.9%.
In 2019, the staff included 49 people of color. And despite what Schor labeled as his “best efforts” to attract a more diverse candidate pool, that number remained the same in January, albeit with eight fewer white employees this year than what was tracked in February 2019.
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