The Texas Department of State Health Services requires firefighters to have basic emergency medical training, or EMT, certifications. But Georgetown officials say the state minimum does not meet city needs.

Recent changes that exceed the state minimums have resulted in an unexpected benefit—increased diversity.

In 2014, the Georgetown Fire Department began to prioritize hiring candidates with advanced paramedic training rather than the EMT certificate. The department had provided basic life support services but could not transport patients to hospitals or provide advanced life support.

“When departments recruit folks that are simply firefighters, it tends to be a white, male-dominated industry,” Fire Chief John Sullivan said. “When you broaden the recruiting pool to give preference to the pre-hospital medical profession, there is a much better gender and ethnic minority balance.”

Officials shifted the hiring process to meet growing demand for staff that can legally provide advanced life support and transport. Georgetown, which began offering those services nearly two years ago, now has four advanced life support transport units. Five fire engines will soon reach advanced life support capabilities, though they will not be able to transport patients.

Fire departments that only provide basic life support would prefer hiring firefighter EMTs, Assistant Chief Jeff Davis said. But it is more efficient for departments offering advanced life support to hire paramedics—saving resources from putting EMTs and firefighter EMTs through more rigorous training.

Because of the shift in priorities, Davis said the department hired its third-ever female firefighter and nine new Hispanic firefighters.

But although the change has led to more diversity, Sullivan said the department could still improve.

“I’m not happy yet with the number of women applying, but I think we’ll get better with that soon,” Sullivan said. “That’s one area where we’re still not representative.”

A BROADER LOOK

Officials said they are taking steps to make sure the rigorous hiring process does not weed out the few minority applicants the city has. But Davis said the pursuit of diversity cannot compromise its high standards.

“These guys and gals are going into your home on your worst day, so we’ve got to make sure they have the right character,” he said. “But we also have to make sure there’s no impact against a certain group.”

He said one such step is conducting the standardized Candidate Physical Agility Test developed by the International Association of Fire Fighters. The department had previously held its own physical agility test.

“There wasn’t anything wrong with [our former test],” he said. “But this is a standardized test, so even taking that step just puts the right processes in place so we don’t cancel anybody out just because they’re a different ethnicity or gender.”

However, the test provides a disadvantage for women, according to the International Association of Women in Fire Services website. No accommodations can be made for females if CPAT is used.

Davis said the department has also added minority employees to its interview panels when seeking future hires.

“We try to get a good mix so it’s not just five white guys running the panels every time,” he said. “That should help make sure we have more women and ethnic minorities hired.”

The Georgetown hiring process mirrors that of most larger departments, Davis said. Though standard, the strenuous hiring process may inadvertently weed out some of the limited candidates for fire departments across the nation.

Austin appears to lead the pack locally when it comes to hiring female firefighters. Austin Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr is one of three women in the country who serve as chief of a large metropolitan department, according to the department’s website.

A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE

Wisconsin native Priscilla Whitaker was the first female graduate of the Georgetown Fire Academy on March 29. She is the department’s third-ever female hire and currently the only woman working for the department.

Whitaker was initially uneasy with the thought of being one of few women in the field, she said. She was also concerned with the job’s physical demands.

“As a female, it’s tough work, and you doubt your abilities,” she said. “Female firefighters have to be extra committed to not weed themselves out. But once I got my hands on those tools and climbing those ladders, I loved it, and I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

Other women might not have the positive experiences she has, she said. But that might be because of their commitment to the job.

“The guys can smell it if you’re not passionate about this job,” she said. “They base their responses to you off of that because if you’re really committed, that’s when they open up.”

Female firefighters can better assess other women’s health needs as they better understand their bodies, Whitaker said. Women are also more likely to discuss more private medical emergencies with female firefighters.

Whitaker said she does not think the rigors of the application process are more difficult for women or minorities.

“It doesn’t have any bearing on there being fewer minorities and women,” she said. “Fewer women and minorities apply, so by nature there will be fewer of them that make it through. We just need to encourage more women to apply.”

SEEKING OTHER MINORITY GROUPS

Jose Moreno, born in Mexico, graduated from the fire academy with Whitaker. He said he is pleased that as local Hispanic populations grow, fire departments hire more firefighters from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

“Departments are tired of not having firefighters that speak Spanish, so they’re training their people to speak it,” he said. “But if you’re already bilingual, then the department doesn’t have to train you, so you might even get preference as a new hire.”

The department can better treat ethnic minorities as native Spanish speakers can better communicate with Spanish-speaking patients in need, Moreno said. But apart from the language benefits, Moreno said there is not as much advantage to hiring ethnically diverse firefighters as hiring female firefighters.

“Patients don’t distinguish ethnicity the same way a female patient might prefer speaking to a female firefighter,” he said. “They just see that you’re a firefighter because there’s no difference in the physiological makeup of different ethnicities.”