HomeMy WebLinkAbout5. 2021 Fire Department RecruitingFort Worth Fire Department
Recruitment Plan
Presented by
Captain Thad Raven
Fort Worth Fire Department Recruiting Vision
Vision:
To recruit, onboard and retain a talented, driven and diverse workforce of firefighters dedicated to protecting and serving the citizens of Fort Worth.
Mission:
We will accomplish our vision by building a culture of growth that will attract and develop a diverse pool of candidates that look not only to be firefighters but pillars of our community.
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Fort Worth Fire Department Recruitment
Goals
•Implement strategies to increase the cultural
diversity and inclusion of the workforce
•Promote interactions within underrepresented
populations
•Increase social media presence
•Re-establish social and professional networks
that were placed on hold due to Covid-19
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Strategies Currently
Implemented to Achieve Recruitment
Goals
•Use of social media in specific regions (ex. El Paso, TX; Jackson, MS.)
•Radio advertisements in targeted communities (ex. San Antonio, TX; Memphis, TN.)
•Diversified recruitment staff to represent underrepresented groups
•Bootcamps prior to Aerobic Capacity Exam (Hands on practice held weekly with instructors beginning 4-6 weeks prior to the exam)
•College visits (DFW area colleges and universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, etc.)
•Partnerships with local gyms
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Strategies Currently Implemented
to Achieve Recruitment Goals (Continued)
•Continue Partnering with Community Risk Reduction (The “Learn Not to Burn” program places firefighter’s in schools to educate K-8th graders about firefighters and fire safety.)
•Firefighter Explorer Program in High Schools
•Grassroots efforts within the targeted communities
•Use of social media platforms to advertise on Firefighter association websites (ex. African American, Hispanic, Asian, Women, and International Firefighter Associations)
•Use of social media platforms to advertise on various websites and job boards (Indeed, Firefighter’s ABC, City of Fort Worth Job Board)
•Focused community outreach (Partnerships with LULAC, NAACP, Urban League, Fitness, Health, and Career Fairs, and Sororities/Fraternities)
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Recruitment Highlights 2017-2020
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Caucasian
59%
Hispanic
17%
African American
15%
Other
9%
Demographic Breakdown of Fire Trainee Classes 82-88
Demographic of Classes by Year
White
64%
African
American
11%
Hispanic
9%
Other
16%
2017
7
Caucasian
57%
African
American
20%
Hispanic
11%
Other
12%
2018
Caucasian
51%African
America
n
24%
Hispanic
21%
Other
4%
2019
Caucasian
61%
African American
18%
Hispanic
21%
2020 (Currently In Training)
Men and
Women Hired
2017-2020
8
Male, 38
Male, 32
Male, 39
Male, 26
Female, 6
Female, 3
Female, 8
Female, 2
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
2017 2018 2019 2020 (In Training)
•In the U.S., around 6,200
women currently work as
full-time, career
firefighters and officers.
•Several hundred hold the
rank of lieutenant or
captain, and about 150
are district chiefs,
battalion chiefs, division
chiefs, or assistant chiefs.
•All of these numbers
increase every year.
•Source: Womeninfire.org
Recommended Strategies to
Enhance Recruitment Efforts
•Partner with our Community Outreach division in implementing a “Women in the Fire Service Program”
•Increase partnerships with colleges and universities that have a diverse pool of applicants.
•Engage with our Public Information Office to develop content to enhance our advertisement reach. (i.e. ”My Story” videos)
•Develop monthly or quarterly study groups
and with interested candidates
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Recommended Strategies
to Enhance Recruitment
Efforts (Continued)
•Develop quarterly practice Aerobic Capacity Exam for interested Candidates.
•Increase social media presence in underrepresented communities
•Year round recruiting
•Use technology as a tool in the application process (i.e., mobile application sites at community centers and events)
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“If you want to sail your ship in a different
direction, you must turn one degree at a
time” Brian Tracy
We must understand that we cannot
change the makeup of our workforce
overnight.
Recruiting is a marathon, not a sprint, and
it takes us taking consistent steps to
change the makeup of the workforce.
With strong leadership encouraging us
taking consistent steps, we can and will
build a fire department that will reflect the
best of what Fort Worth has to offer.
Questions?