NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 16
C U LT U R E
PRIORITIZING
DIVERSITY
ON THE HEELS OF A SUMMER OF CIVIL
UNREST, THREE METRO CHIEFS DELIVER
A TIMELY PRESENTATION ON DIVERSITY
IN THE FIRE SERVICE AT THE 2020 URBAN
FIRE FORUM
By Angelo Verzoni
n September, as the United States was still
I
collectively reeling from a summer marked
by civil unrest and protests over racial injustice, fire chiefs from across the country and
around the world gathered virtually for a
presentation on promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion
in the fire service. The event, delivered by fire chiefs from
three major urban areas in North America, was part of the
2020 Urban Fire Forum, an annual event organized by NFPA
and attended by members of the Metropolitan Fire Chiefs
Association.
"Since its inception
more than 50 years ago,
the Metro Chiefs has led
the way in fire service
diversity, equality, and
inclusion," said Russ
Sanders, executive secretary of the Metro Chiefs
and a regional director at
NFPA. "We've never been
satisfied with the status
quo, and the presentation at this year's forum
is just one example of
our continuing efforts to
learn and share stories
about creating a better,
more inclusive fire
service."
Deryn Rizzi, chief of
Vaughan Fire and Rescue
Service in Ontario,
Canada, kicked off the
presentation by framing the issue of a lack
of diversity in the fire
service. "Picture a typical firefighter ... if you
imagined a white man,
that's understandable," Rizzi said, adding that 96 percent
of career firefighters in the US are men and 82 percent are
white. Later, she challenged all fire service leaders to ask
themselves whether their departments were doing enough
to foster a more diverse, inclusive environment-and if not,
to do something about it.
"In light of recent events in our communities and around
the world, it's important as fire service leaders to reemphasize our strong commitment to diversity and inclusion,"
Rizzi said. "All fire service leaders must make it a priority
to promote diversity, inclusion, and basic human dignity
inside each fire house"-qualities that can help fire departments, but also the community as a whole, she said.
Otto Drozd, who has led four metropolitan fire departments and is now the chief of the Seminole County Fire
Department in Florida, emphasized the consequences that
a lack of diversity can have for a fire department, especially
those in communities with large minority populations.
"Some of the outcomes of that would be the inability to
recognize the needs of the community, a loss of empathy by
personnel towards community members, and an erosion in
the trust the community has for the department, thereby
eroding community support," Drozd said.
The full presentation-plus presentations on firefighter
cancer, new technologies influencing emergency response,
and more from the 2020 Urban Fire Forum-can be
watched at nfpa.org/uff.
GETT Y IMAGES
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http://www.nfpa.org/uff
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2020
Contents
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 1
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 2
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 3
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Contents
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 5
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 6
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 7
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 8
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 9
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 10
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 11
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 12
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 13
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 14
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 15
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 16
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 17
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 18
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 19
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 20
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 21
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 22
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 23
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 24
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 25
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 26
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 27
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 28
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 29
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 30
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 31
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 32
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 33
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 34
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 35
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 36
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 37
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 38
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NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 40
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 41
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 42
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 43
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NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 45
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 46
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 47
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 48
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NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - 80
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - November/December 2020 - Cover4
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