DAYTON — The Dayton Fire Department is in the process of getting new recruits and say this group of applicants is the most diverse they’ve seen in the department’s history
Dayton Fire Lieutenant Kenneth Cole has been with DFD for almost 30 years. He told News Center 7′s Candace Price that the culture in the department is “very homogenous,” highlighting the need for more diversity.
“I think we would be extremely naïve if we were to say that race does not matter and that culture does not matter,” he said.
Cole said the department’s lack of diversity has been a challenge, stating a homogenous culture can “mute” other cultures.
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‘You never really feel the equality or the ability to feel completely like you’re equal,” he said. “You may feel like you have to do twice as much to get the same type of respect, the same type of treatment.”
In the last four years, the department has switched gears and focused more on diversity. In 2018, 93 percent of the department was white, while 4 percent was black and 3.2 percent was described as other. Today, the department reported 89.5 percent was white, while 6.7 percent was black and 3.8 percent were described as other.
This year, Cole was asked to lead the department’s recruiting efforts. He said in efforts to boost diversity, they’ve made connections to both Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month within their messaging.
“We created a radio spot, ‘Come join our team, come live the dream.’ So that was in homage of Dr. Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” Cole said.
Cole said they’ve highlighted pioneers within the department, as well as black inventors who have made contributions to the fire service. Additionally, he said they’ve been very “radical” with a series of billboards put up around the city, one which features four black firefighters.
“You see an apparatus, Dayton Fire Department pull up, very seldom will you see four black firefighters on it, but we’ve got four black firefighters on the billboard,” he said.
This year the department has had 680 applicants. So far 62 percent are white, 30 percent are black and 5 percent are Hispanic.
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In addition to creating more racial diversity in the department, Cole said they are also focused on recruiting more women. The last numbers he saw, Cole said indicated that almost 100 women had applied to the department.
“We need the diversity that comes from having women in the department. We need to change this organization,” he said.
Cole said it was refreshing to see such a diverse group of applicants and hopes to see it grow.
“We just have to continue to persevere with the efforts that we’re doing,” Cole said.
Dayton Fire Department’s deadline to apply is Sunday, February 20.
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