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Friday, August 15, 2008
City fire, police departments want more minority candidates
Following a directive from city commissioners, the Dayton fire and police departments are looking to hire minority officers and firefighters for the next upcoming testing period in January.
And to do that, the city is easing its requirements for those who wish to serve.
Interim fire Chief Herbert Redden said his department is in desperate need of diversity. As of June, of the close to 400 fire and medic workers, 10 percent are female, 6 percent are black and 2 percent are listed in the “other” minority color.
To get more recruits the city is not requiring prior firefighting or EMT certification for those that wish to take the test in January, Redden said. Before, you had to be a professional firefighter or EMT just to take the test.
“This is going to be more of an entry-level thing,” Redden said. “By doing that we hope to draw a larger pool of candidates.”
The police department is doing the same thing, but the department’s diversity numbers have not yet been made available.
“We are looking at employees of companies who are downsizing or moving out that are getting left behind,” Redden said. “We have also contacted the NAACP and other community groups and asked them to participate in the process.”
Officials have also traveled to Columbus, Cincinnati and points in between looking for candidates, Redden said.
For those wanting to test, a date has yet to be set, but will be sometime in January, Redden said. You can call the city at (937) 333-3616 for more details.
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