Richmond Fire Rescue to Increase Diversity
06 March 2007
Richmond Fire Rescue is currently preparing to hire new recruits and is exploring innovative ways to increase diversity and promote inclusiveness in the department, while not compromising operational standards.
As part of this process, the City is considering an application to the BC Human Rights Tribunal to allow for preferential hiring of women and visible minorities. The proposed hiring plan must still be approved by Council and by the Human Rights Tribunal before it can go forward.
Applications will be accepted from any and all applicants. While it is proposed that hiring preference will be given to women and visible minorities, it is unlikely that all vacancies at Richmond Fire Rescue can be filled in this way, so other candidates will be considered and accepted.
All candidates, regardless of gender or background, will have to meet the same set of rigorous standards in order to become Richmond fire fighters. The City is moving to adopt the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) to test candidates on their physical ability to complete the critical and essential tasks of firefighting. This is a nationally-accepted standard that is in use in many fire departments across North America. It provides a better system of evaluating candidates than the testing Richmond used in the past and ensures that all successful candidates will be capable of maintaining Richmond’s high operational standards for fire rescue services.
Currently, there are two women among Richmond’s 191 fire fighters and less than 10 per cent of the force is comprised of visible minorities. By comparison the general makeup of the community is approximately 50 per cent female and about 60 per cent of the populace are visible minorities.
The City is committed to building a fire department that is more reflective of the community makeup - without compromising on the department's high operational standards.
Richmond Fire Rescue is currently developing a new Strategic Plan designed to provide a balance between achieving its objectives for positive culture change, while continuing to provide outstanding fire rescue services for the community. The new Strategic Plan is expected to be presented to Council for consideration in the near future.
