A certification of completion in Fire Technology is designed for those who wish to make the fire service a career but do not intend to pursue a 4-year degree. Fire Technology Certificate Programs prepare students for careers in the fire service, either public or private. A basic understanding in fire protection, prevention, combustion and behavior, fire company organization and procedures, and wild land fire behavior among other areas are the basis for the curriculum (College of the Canyons, n.d.). The role of a firefighter in society is critical for maintaining public safety. Those in the field take risks most others do not, and their life saving jobs are a critical part of a smooth functioning community. While they are rightfully heralded as heroes for their bravery and dedication, the field of firefighting has a past and present steeped in racism that also deserves acknowledging. To include perspective, institutional racism is just as prevalent within the fire service as it is within law enforcement. As an academy, agency, and industry that operates under paramilitary rules and regulations, fire departments and individual firefighters work hand-in-hand with law enforcement as “first responders.” Historically, the fire service was constructed out of a place of need. The earliest evidence available marks the first female firefighter as African-American woman Molly Williams, who was held under slavery by a New York City firefighter in the 1780's. Devastating fires occurred frequently and fingers were being pointed in every community across the nation. Action was taken by the local governing bodies to officially organize people (Milligan & Ballew, n.d.). White Fire Commissioners were appointed to take charge at any fire and to conscript any and all bystanders and assign them to service, both free and slave. In 1833 New Orleans, four companies were documented:Volunteer No.1, Mississippi No.2, Lafayette No.3 and Washington No.4. It was noted in the government documentation that Lafayette and Washington were made up of "two squads of Negroes, with a colored man named Johnson at their head” and it also noted that new equipment had been purchased and placed in use by the Lafayette and Washington companies(Milligan & Ballew, n.d.).The other two companies led by whites felt they should have received the new equipment and were jealous of the black companies and filed a complaint with the city. Throughout the 1800s, people of color were documented as firefighters enlisted to white fire companies, requiring twice the amount of training time required for white firefighters. Post Civil War, firefighters of color were treated like second-class citizens and were not afforded the same opportunities as their white counterparts, despite their proven ability to outperform them (Milligan & Ballew, n.d.). In 1886 Philadelphia did hire its first black firefighter, but it was not until 1974, when Club Valiants, an organization for Philadelphia's black firefighters, sued the city in federal court for more proportional representation that Black firefighters gained access to what historically had been a white-dominated organization. Firefighters of color remained segregated until the 1960’s, and once integration was in place, documented acts of racism against firefighters of color have been numerous. Firefighters of color have had to endure micro aggressions and life-threatening racist acts across the country, such as finding that their oxygen tank has been mysteriously emptied.
In 1970 the International Association of Black Professional Firefighters was founded and as a result, first-time hires and promotions for firefighters of color were well documented across the country throughout the 80s and 90s (Milligan & Ballew, n.d.). Despite the rise in numbers of Black firefighters, racism against these heroes continued.Even as recently as 2018,a black firefighter found a noose in his locker at work. It was reported and was an expose to the New York Times followed with the headline, “I Was a Firefighter for 35 Years. Racism Today Is as Bad as Ever” (Stewart, 2018).
Today, fire academy students can find abundant racism resource pages published by fire departments across the United States, including news about how racism has been demonstrated in the fire service, as well as lawsuits and disciplinary actions related to alleged racist behaviors by fire service personnel. Racism in the fire service will be destroyed when men and women of character, devotion, and courage sit down and talk about issues that are hard to talk about. Company officers who are willing to put their crews on notice that intolerance has no place in their firehouse are more likely to successfully navigate the minefield of a race issue (Seicol, 2020).Company officers first should educate themselves about the challenges associated with taking on a discussion about race and then gather the troops around the kitchen table and actually have the conversation. Unchecked hate and discrimination obliterate essential trust that first responders need and ultimately, unchecked racism puts all firefighters in great danger.
