Fire chief finalists queried on attitude toward gays, minorities
by David L. Teibel on Sep. 30, 2008, under Local, SpecialThe four finalists for the Tucson fire chief’s job were questioned Monday by a diverse group of representatives from community organizations.
Among the questions during a two-hour session, candidates were asked about dealing with minorities on calls and about recruiting them.
About 20 people attended the session from 8 to 10 a.m. at the city Community Service Department, 320 N. Commerce Park Loop.
Only written questions submitted in advance were allowed. There were no calls to the audience for additional questions.
The four finalists are:
• James E. Critchley Jr., a deputy Tucson fire chief for operations and labor relations.
• Keith Richter, chief of the Contra Costa (Calif.) County Fire Protection District. Richter was with the Tucson Fire Department from 1977 to 1998, rising to the rank of assistant chief for operations.
• Larry Collins, who retired Aug. 1 as director and chief of the Dayton (Ohio) Fire Department.
• Patrick Kelly, fire chief and emergency management coordinator for Deland, Florida.
At each’s respective department, all four had met with members of racial and ethnic minority groups as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups.
Collins said under his term as chief of the Dayton department he had a large diversity program and sought racial and ethnic minorities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups for recruitment.
Collins also said firefighters must be trained to accept what amounts to cultural change as a result of such recruitment.
Fire departments, Critchley said, need to start diversity recruiting efforts when potential recruits are as young as 12 and 13.
The nation’s fire service is a white, male-dominated profession and that must change, Kelly said.
He said his department had developed a recruiting test that was more valid for diverse groups of job applicants.
Richter said he had targeted members of diverse groups for recruitment and he had established a section within his department to do so. Richter said that during his tenure as chief in Contra Costa, the percentage of women in his department had increased.
The Commission on Disability Issues asked how the men would ensure the safety and well-being of people with disabilities during disasters.
The finalists talked of the need to identify those with disabilities, where they live, the need to keep computer databases containing the information and the need to update the information regularly.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People representative asked the finalists about recruiting blacks.
Critchley said there is a need to talk to potential recruits, starting at a young age, and convince them they would have a future in the fire service.
But, Critchley added, “I don’t know that we’ve done as good a job as we could have.”
Kelly acknowledged a need to enlist the aid of black community leaders in developing recruiting programs and said blacks already in the fire service must mentor black recruits.
Richter said targeted recruitment must be broadened to include other minority members.
Collins warned that talented minority members must be recruited “or we’re going to lose that talent.”
After the Q&A, Donna Liggins, president of the NAACP’s Tucson chapter, said, “I thought it was nice to have the community come in, to be involved, to at least hear the questions and the answers of the candidates.”
City Manager Mike Hein and Assistant City Manager Richard Miranda will choose a candidate for the job and refer him to the City Council in mid-October for confirmation, said Cindy Bezaury, director of the city’s Human Resources Department.
The fire chief’s job pays $134,347 to $175,094 a year plus fringe benefits, according to a city job announcement.
Tucson has been seeking a fire chief since the retirement Sept. 12 of Daniel Newburn, who had held the job since July 1, 2001.
