Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/924029
10 UCW JANUARY 10-16, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM NEWS e Fayetteville Fire Department has designat- ed a veteran fire captain as its official recruiter. e position was established in November with- out cit y support. "We had to take a firefighter off the line since the position hasn't been funded," said Fire Chief Ben Major. Officials said they will include payroll for a recruiter in next fiscal year's budget. In the meantime, the department is one man short at the fire station where the recruiter was previously assigned. Major said the recruiter position had not been ap- proved by city council in previous budgets, but he's confident it will be in the FY2019 budget process. e department's recruiting effort is aimed at im- proving the employment of minority firefighters. "We don't have a recruiting problem; we have a di- versity recruiting problem," Major told city council. He said that out of the FFD's 331 employees, nine are African American. Major himself is one of the nine. In a memo to city council, the chief said the fire department "continues to face challenges in im- proving diversity within the organization." He out- lined measures designed to assist the department in increasing racial integration of the workforce. ese include hosting a symposium on recruiting for diversity that will feature speakers discussing best practices and what has worked well for other municipal fire departments. e symposium will be held Jan. 30 at the student center of Fayetteville State University. e cit y has retained the Pittman McLenagan Group, L.C. of Bethesda, Mar yland, to consult with the fire department on project management experience, project understanding, personnel qualifications and general qualifications. Pitt- man McLenagan describes itself online as a small, woman-owned firm providing a broad spectrum of employment consulting services for organiza- tions seeking to improve their procedures. Other strategies include sponsoring enhanced prepa- rator y workshops for potential candidates and partnering with agencies that share an interest in workforce development. "What's the choke point for candi- dates?" asked Councilman Jim Arp. He wanted to know why many minorities failed to make the hiring cut. Major said it was the written test that all applicants take. e results count 40 percent in the application evaluation process. Personal interviews with a city Human Resource Committee count 60 percent, Major said. City Attorney Karen MacDonald told council the city's diversity committee is reviewing the application process to determine if the process itself is part of the problem. Nearly 700 applicants applied to fill 30 fire department vacancies in the most recent academy. Major did not know how many of the candidates were black. "You need to open the tool box," Arp told Major. He suggested allowing certified firefighters from other communities to be hired, as the police de- partment does. Lateral hiring, as it's known, could help improve integration, Arp added. "You're the professionals, so figure it out," Mayor Mitch Colvin told Major. Dealing with lack of diversity by JEFF THOMPSON JEFF THOMPSON, Senior News Reporter. COMMENTS? news@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Out of the Fayetteville Fire Department's 331 employees, nine are African-American. FTCC Corporate & Continuing Education 910-678-9896 http://www.faytechcc.edu/continuing-education Train for a career in Welding! Register now for just $180! Scholarships may be available! Upcoming Classes: Jan 8 – Feb 23 Feb 26 – April 13 April 16 – June 1