Citing nepotism and mismanagement in the Los Angeles Fire Department, a new study is calling for an overhaul of its hiring practices if the city is to have more women and minorities as firefighters.
Commissioned by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, the independent report released Thursday noted that four people are currently recruiting new firefighters despite calls for more diversity in the department. LAFD hiring practices were criticized last year and the city vowed to update them.
"I think it underscores what we already know," Garcetti said of the report. "We have to make sure we get the best firefighters, regardless of race, regardless of gender."
Garcetti had previously called LAFD recruiting "fatally flawed" after reports surfaced that family members of current firefighters were able to submit their applications before others in the highly competitive process.
Reaching out to more women and minorities became a priority for top city officials, and the new report says they can do so by budgeting more money for recruitment efforts, currently being carried out by four individuals.
Fire stations could recruit, and experts could come in to devise a selection process that is more tied to the skills "required to be an effective firefighter," said the report, written by Santa Monica think tank Rand.
The fire department has implemented some changes recommended in the report, Garcetti said, adding he is committed to hiring more firefighters.
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Last year's graduating class 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.
City News Service contributed to this report.
