Fire Department Gender Analysis

Fire Department Gender Analysis
2014

On April 23, 2014, Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, Fire Commissioner Francine Covington, HR Director Jesusa Bushong, Director of Training Ramona Williams, and Fire Marshall Michi Wong presented the gender analysis of the Fire Department to the Commission on the Status of Women. The report is drawn from the minutes of that meeting.

 

Chief Hayes-White reviewed the recent history of the San Francisco Fire Department and the consent decree that was in place from 1988-1998. She reported that, currently, the composition of the Fire Department includes 16% women (c.f., less than 4% nationally) and 52% minority. Chief Hayes-White stated that she was a founding member of the United Fire Service Women.

She highlighted two programs that engage many women: the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) Program that has, to date, trained 23,000 people with a free, 18-hour curriculum available in Cantonese and Spanish, and the SF Firefighters and Safety Education program in which 40 active volunteers deliver K-5 fire safety curriculum in the public schools.

 

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Chief Hayes-White was provided a list of questions to address. Below are her responses:

  1. Data shows that women who take the fire exam do very well. However, many women who sign up aren’t following through and taking the exam. Since 2011, what steps have been taken to increase the number of women applicants who sign up for and take the exam?

Interested participants can take the test online in the comfort of their own home.

  1. Having a staff recruiter, instead of asking firefighters (who are disproportionately male) to volunteer their time for recruitment, could lead to more gender-responsive best practices in recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion. What steps are you taking to ensure a staff recruiter is hired and how can our commission support your efforts?

Since 2009, the Fire Department hasn’t had dedicated staff for recruitment, but the agency is looking forward to expanding its recruitment efforts in the near future.

  1. Do firefighters receive any training for identifying and reporting family violence situations?

When there is evidence of domestic violence, the Fire Department works very closely with the Police Department to address the issues.

  1. While the department cannot collect data on LGBTQ individuals, what steps are being taken to ensure inclusivity and support for transgender and gay firefighters?

All emergency calls are answered regardless of age, sex, and ethnicity.

  1. How easy is it for a mother to work through and after her pregnancy? What kind of childcare resources are available to working mothers? Is there a referral system in place?

The Fire Department provides family leave per local, state, and federal laws. Pregnant women are offered temporary assignments, and may return to work after 6 weeks of the child’s birth with a light work load. There are no specific provisions for child care, but employees help each other out by coordinating schedules for babysitting. 

 

Chief Hayes-White discussed the progress the department has made in including transgender firefighters. Also, for the first time, the Fire Department is now seeing a wave of women retirees who have 25 years of service.

However, of the 48 members of the academy class starting in January 2014, 7 were women, but only 2 have remained in the class due to a variety of reasons (e.g. family caregiving responsibilities, lack of interest).