November 5, 2024 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Santa Monica -based Rand Corp. releases report about LAFD women and minority firefighters

Female athletes and recent military veterans belonging to a minority racial group, such as Hispanic, Asian and black, should be targeted for recruitment, Rand Corp. researchers recommended. (Thinkstock)
Rand Corp. researchers recommended that female athletes and recent military veterans belonging to a minority racial group should be targeted for recruitment. (Thinkstock)

More outreach is needed to increase the number of women and minority firefighters in the Los Angeles Fire Department, according to a report released today by a Santa Monica-based think tank.

Female athletes and recent military veterans belonging to a minority racial group, such as Hispanic, Asian and black, should be targeted for recruitment, Rand Corp. researchers recommended in the 150-page report.

Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered the $270,000 study from Rand last year in an effort to improve the city’s firefighter hiring process amid criticism that the LAFD’s recruitment tends to favor relatives of existing employees, resulting in less diversity.

The Rand report also suggests that city leaders increase the fire department’s budget for recruitment efforts, which are currently being carried out by four individuals.

Rand researchers said fire stations could serve as recruitment centers, with staff at each site undergoing training to become “official recruiters.”

The Rand report also recommends that the city bring in experts to devise a selection process that is more tied to the skills “required to be an effective firefighter.”

Some applicants for city firefighter jobs complained last year that the city’s process for whittling down the number of initial applicants — often from an initial pool of 10,000 — to a more manageable number is too arbitrary.

In a recent hiring round, only the applicants who were able to submit paperwork within the first 60 seconds after the submission window began were moved onto the next round, which some said excluded qualified potential recruits.

Garcetti temporarily halted the recruitment process last year, saying he wanted to develop a better way of hiring firefighters using suggestions from Rand.

He ended up restarting the hiring before the Rand report was released, this time revising the winnowing process so that the smaller pool of applicants maintains the same gender and racial demographics as the initial group.

Garcetti spokesman Yusef Robb said the mayor is pleased the Rand report contains some recommendations that the city has already implemented.

“We will closely review this final report as we continue our work to ensure L.A. hires the best possible firefighters,” he said.

Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said he will review the report and work with the mayor’s and personnel offices to “continue to refine the hiring process to employ a diverse field of qualified candidates as LAFD firefighters.”

The city began hiring firefighters again last year after a five-year hiring freeze prompted by budget cuts.

The first graduating class since the freeze was lifted contained no women. The original class of 70 recruits who started the 20-week-long training was about 55 percent white and had one women who dropped out. This group also contained 13 sons and three nephews of firefighters.

A recent class that started training in December contains four women — two who are white, one Asian and one Hispanic. The rest of the class is made up of 19 white, 13 Hispanic, five black and two Asian men.

Related Posts

Early Morning Call From Community Leads to Burglary Arrest in Culver City

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Police Respond To Suspicious Activity Call, Arrest Suspect With Pickaxe Culver City police arrested a man early Friday morning in...

Culver City Police Department is Prepared to Ensure Community Safety During Election Week

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Enhanced Patrols, Activated Emergency Center Ready, Culver City Voting Center is Open The Culver City Police Department has announced an...

Legendary Music Icon Quincy Jones Dies at 91 in Bel Air

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Celebrated Musician, Producer Leaves an Indelible Legacy By Dolores Quintana Legendary musician, music producer, film and television producer, composer of...

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Lays Off Longtime Archive and Library Staff

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Downsizing and Restructuring Continue, Affecting Employees with Decades of Service By Dolores Quintana Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture...

LA County Opens 526 New Vote Centers for Early Voting, Announces Conditional Voting for Unregistered Residents

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Metro LA Offers Free Rides on Election Day to Help Residents Get to the Polls Los Angeles County opened an...

New Aviation/Century Station Opens, Linking Metro’s C and K Lines

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Metro’s Newest Station Paves the Way for Future LAX Transit Center The new Aviation/Century Station officially opened this week, marking...

H5N1 Detected in LA County Wastewater, Health Officials Urge Precautions for Residents

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Los Angeles County Investigates Low-Level H5 Avian Flu Detected in Wastewater The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is...

Two Events in Culver City This Weekend: Bike Registration and Dance Performance

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

Put the Brakes on Bicycle Theft and Enjoy an Evening of Dance and Interactive Art The Culver City Police Department...

All You Need to Know to Attend the Dodgers Victory Parade Tomorrow in DTLA

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

World Champions and LA’s Team to Greet Angelenos After Win of NY Yankees The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that their...

Beverly Hills City Government Agrees to a Stipulated Judgment After Blocking Abortion Clinic Opening

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

City to Implement Training, Oversight on Reproductive Rights Following Legal Settlement  California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a legal agreement...

Dia De Los Muertos 2024: Here’s Where To Celebrate The Holiday Tradition This Weekend

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

Los Angeles Has a Variety of Ways to Explore Latino Culture and Honor Ancestors Starting just after Halloween, Dia de...

(Video) Downtown L.A. Reacts to World Series Victory

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

The Dodgers Are World Series Champs For The Eighth Time https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFtyDDKn/

Halloween Pre-Game Party Brings Chills and Spooky Thrills to The Rose Venice

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

Enjoy Halloween With Festive Cocktails, Appetizers, and a Costume Contest The Rose Venice in Venice is set to host a...

(Video) Something About Her’s First Tea Time Was a Big Hit

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

The Next Date is November Third. Beautiful vibes, deciduous food and drink. Don’t miss it. @Something About Her @culvercitywlanews Something...

Something About Her Sandwich Shop Hosts Second Exclusive Tea Time on November 3

October 30, 2024

October 30, 2024

By Dolores Quintana West Hollywood’s Delightful Sandwich Spot by Vanderpump Rules Stars Has Tea Service Something About Her, the adorable...