Promotion Matrix and Discrimination in the Fire Services - How to Fix It

Introduction 

Background of the Study 

Fire departments in the United States play a critical role in responding to a wide array of emergencies of which the firefighters are trained to handle. However, one of the most notable issues occurring within these departments revolves around the fact that most of the departments contribute to discrimination concerning recruitment and promotion. Although federal courts have made rulings against problems of discrimination within the fire departments, it remains evident that indeed the departments seek to discriminate against women and people of color. The percentage of white men, who attempt the tests, is much more than all the other segments of the population (Riccucci & Saldivar, 2014). That serves as a clear indication of the fact that indeed the departments tend to offer higher preference for white American male while ignoring other population segments.

The issue of discrimination within the fire departments has been noted as being significant, as it creates an uneven platform for recruitment and promotion with the specific focus being on women and people of color. The leadership in the fire departments has been on the forefront towards highlighting their commitment towards dealing with the issue to overcome discrimination within the departments. The process of overcoming the issue requires the implementation of various strategies that seek to involve all the relevant stakeholders within the fire departments to ensure that women and people of color are protected against any form of discrimination. Considering the fire departments play a critical role in enhancing public safety, the police, and leaders within the departments focus on improving the level of fairness to capitalize on effective service delivery, which is an aspect that aims at eliminating any form of discrimination.

Justification of the Study 

The fire departments within the US have experienced increased cases involving the discrimination of women and other people of color those working with the department and those that seek services from the department. The increased instances of discrimination have elevated the issues of injustices thus influencing factors that concern the delivery of quality services to the public. Inequities within departments play a significant role in influencing working relations thus interfering with the nature of operations undertaken to deliver services. Following an increase in some cases involving the discrimination of women and people of color within the fire departments within the US, it has become essential to embark on a study on how to avoid such cases. That serves as a clear justification for this study with the focus being towards finding practical solutions to the issues.

The fire departments find themselves in situations where they are expected to spend notable amounts of money to cover their legal fees taking into account the number of cases in which these departments have been made to courts of law. The women and People of color are filing against the fire department due to this injustice. This scenario is being addressed in many federal courts now, which are deciding against the fire department. The expectation in conducting this study is that it will help in highlighting the issue from the perspective of the causes with the sole intention being towards finding practical solutions on how to deal with the rising cases of discrimination. The study seeks to highlight the truth concerning the extent of the problem within the fire departments to serve as a clear reflection of the challenges that women and people of color experience.

Objectives 

The following are some of the objectives of this research study.

To determine the various difficulties and discriminations faced by women and colored in the fire department.

To research that whether discrimination is being implemented at all levels, in the fire department.

To explain the technical flaws which are dragging the women and children from getting promotions and describing ways to reduce this impact.

Purpose of the Research 

The purpose of this study is to check how the promotion matrix fits the fire service and its role in combating discrimination in promotion. The study seeks to examine how the leadership within fire departments would be able to adopt the promotion matrix as one of the justified approaches through which to ensure that indeed promotion occurs on the basis of merit. Currently, the situation within the fire departments is seen as severe while because most of the persons promoted to higher leadership positions only seek to serve the intention of justifying discrimination. The study aims to create a formative approach through which to examine how the extent of the issue from the perspective of the persons facing problems of discrimination. Specifically, the study will seek to focus on women and people of color, who face discrimination; thus, affecting the overall possibility of them being promoted to higher positions within the departments.

The study also seeks to embark on a sufficient understanding of what to expect concerning the idea of using the promotion matrix while considering that overall possibility that this matrix would help in promoting fairness. By advocating for fairness, the leadership with the fire departments would be in a better position through which to maximize the generalized understanding of discrimination occurring within the departments. It would also be much more effective when dealing with the rising number of cases where some of the women and persons of color complain of being sidelined during promotions. Primarily, the study will seek to highlight the issue from multiple perspectives with the sole intention being towards finding practical solutions on how to deal with such matters of discrimination.

Research Question 

The following is the research question that will seek to guide this research study.

How does the promotion matrix fit into the fire service, and what is its role in combating promotion discrimination? 

Literature Review 

Systemic Culture 

The primary goal for any employee working within a company or organization is that he or she would be able to be promoted to a higher position of leadership. That can also reflect on the expectations among employees working in the fire departments, who tend to have the inherent belief that their ability to work hard would earn them promotions. Chaney (2015) argues that this is not the case considering that the fire departments tend to award promotions in an unfair manner that does not focus on an employee’s merit. Instead, the leadership within the fire departments focus on the employee’s gender and ethnicity, which would serve as the main factor that contributes to a higher number of cases where white American men find it much easier for them to achieve the expected promotions.

Riccucci & Riccardelli (2015) fault the systemic culture that fire departments adopt as part of their approaches to recruitment and promotion of employees, as it seeks to create an unfair advantage for the white men attempting to get employment or promotion. The issue stretches towards the fact that most of the leaders within these departments tend to ignore the overall expectations of the different population segments. That can be seen from the fact that the number of women recruited into the fire departments is significantly low when compared to the number of men that are drafted within the same period. Riccucci & Riccardelli (2015) point to the fact that the fire departments focus much of their attention on getting more women as part of the recruitment while minimizing on the number of women; thus, suggesting discrimination.

The issue also affects people of color, otherwise described as African Americans, who face severe discrimination instances during both the process of recruitment and promotion. Schermerhorn-Collins (2017) argues that white American men are three times as likely to get recruited and promoted within fire departments when compared to the people of color, which serves as a systemic issue that affects the departments throughout the United States. Dealing with the issue of discrimination may require an overhaul in the general understanding of what the leaders within these departments ought to consider as part of their expectations in recruitment. Firefighting is a career that requires both physical and mental fitness, instead, of having to focus on the gender or racial background of an individual (Schermerhorn-Collins, 2017). That acts as a clear indication of the need for having to embark on the process of having to expose the issue with the aim being towards finding practical solutions for the cases of discrimination.

Promotion and Recruitment Culture 

Promotion and recruitment are both essential aspects that characterize any organization or department as part of its intentions towards meeting some of the set-out goals and objectives. In fire departments, the promotion and recruitment culture adopted seeks to create an unfair platform for women and people of color, who face severe cases of discrimination. Ballaro & Blanchard (2018) revealed that one of the major hindrances to promotions in the fire department is gender. Women have to work extra hard to prove themselves since the fire service is considered a masculine field. That means that women find themselves in a position where it becomes much harder for them to seek recruitment into some of these departments, as they are considered as being weak and lacking in capacity.

On the other hand, it has also been noted that the majority of people of color tend to experience significant challenges in recruitment and promotion while considering that leadership tends to promote instances of discrimination. A research study by Riccucci & Saldivar (2014) revealed that even though people with color gain opportunities to join the fire department, it is sometimes challenging for them to get promotions. The issue can be seen from the fact that the number of people of color within the departments is significantly low when compared to persons from other racial categories. That is especially common within the leadership framework of the fire departments, as the people of color find themselves in somewhat disadvantaged positions when seeking promotions.

Discrimination of Women and People of Color 

The issue of discrimination, primarily focusing on women and people of color, creates an unwarranted need to expose the issue while reflecting on the impacts that it is having for these population segments. Hollenbach III (2014) indicates on the subject by suggesting that most of the women and African Americans are viewed as being inferior concerning their respective positions while considering that the firefighting positions are perceived as having a department for strength and masculinity. However, it is essential to find this as a contrary understanding of the issue considering that both women and people of color have equal capacities to perform within these fire departments. The leadership within the fire departments would have a critical role to play in creating a new culture concerning recruitment and promotion of women and people of color to help in creating a fair platform for all population segments.

Hypothesis 

The study will seek to justify a null hypothesis, which would serve as the primary basis through which the researcher can engage in the study effective. The following is the null hypothesis for this research study.

H 0 - The Discrimination is present at all levels in the Fire Department, which can be reduced by taking measures at both government and individual levels.

Research Method 

Research Design 

The study seeks to engage a combination of qualitative and quantitative research and data collection methods with the focus being towards examining the issue at hand, which is discrimination occurring within fire departments. The idea of using the qualitative design will focus on identifying the problem of discrimination as a Social Phenomenon; thus, creating the need for having to embark on a subjective analysis of the issue. The study seeks to examine the effect of discrimination with the focus being on fire departments while highlighting the extent to which it creates a challenge for the society. That supports the need for having to examine the issue as a Social Phenomenon that may require widespread adoption of effective measures with the sole focus being towards minimizing exposure to discrimination. To support the qualitative analysis, the quantitative data is of utmost significance. The study will be using articles from scientific journals and other primary sources, as part of gathering quantitative data to help in highlighting the issue from multiple perspectives.

Sample and Sampling Procedure 

The study seeks to examine an issue that affects a specific department, which is the fire department within the United States. From that perspective, the researcher will attempt to find persons that have been affected by the issue of discrimination as part of their engagement within the fire departments. The study will attempt to use firsthand observations from the persons concerned, which will help towards ensuring that the study can build on its overall capacity to maintain reliability and validity. The researcher will seek to engage in interviews with some of the top-level officials within the fire departments, as well as, persons that have been involved in lawsuits against the fire departments as part of getting their opinion concerning the issue of discrimination.

Data Collection Methods 

While considering that the research study seeks to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative data, it is essential to consider that the study may focus on several key data collection methods. The use of multiple data collection methods acts as a guarantee that the researcher would be in an active position through which to examine the issue as it relates to the persons affected. Additionally, this will also help towards ensuring that the researcher can get a clear understanding of the issue from the perspective of other studies, which will assist in providing insight. Some of the primary data collection methods that the study will consider as part of data collection include:

Use of questionnaires to collect qualitative and quantitative data

Use of interviews to collect qualitative data

Analysis of Journal Articles regarding the discrimination in the Fire Department

Use of official documents to collect qualitative and quantitative data

Data Analysis 

The study is expected to gather a wide array of data sets to help in reaching useful conclusions as part of supporting or refuting the hypothesis. Consequently, this means that the researcher would be expected to ensure that indeed the data analysis approaches taken help towards building on overall validity and reliability of the data collected. Specifically, the study will seek to use descriptive, statistical, and critical analyses on the collected data and facts to help in defining overall effectiveness concerning the quality of data collected. The results of the data will be represented in tables, graphs, and statements. The presentation of results from the data is one of the critical aspects of consideration for the study, as this would act as a guarantee for effective achievement of set out objectives. The data will be carefully checked, as well as, being ratified to ensure its authenticity.

Conclusions and Recommendations 

One of the most notable issues occurring within these departments revolves around the fact that most of the departments contribute to discrimination concerning recruitment and promotion. The fire departments within the US have experienced increased cases involving the perception of women and other people of color those working with the department and those that seek services from the department. The study aims to highlight the truth concerning the extent of the problem within the fire departments to serve as a clear reflection of the challenges that women and people of color experience. The study will recommend effective ways through which to minimize the issues of discrimination occurring within the fire departments, which tends to have severe implications for women and persons of color.

References

Ballaro, J. M., & Blanchard, C. (2018). Women Making It to the Top: From Firefighter to Fire Chief.  International Leadership Journal ,  10 (2).

Chaney, C. (2015). Institutional Racism: Perspectives on the Department of Justice's Investigation of the Ferguson Police Department.  Western Journal of Black Studies ,  39 (4).

Hollenbach III, D. R. (2014). Women in the Fire Service: A Diverse Culture Leads to a Successful Culture.  Fire Engineering .

Riccucci, N. M., & Riccardelli, M. (2015). The use of written exams in police and fire departments: Implications for social diversity.  Review of Public Personnel Administration ,  35 (4), 352-366.

Riccucci, N., & Saldivar, K. (2014). The status of employment discrimination suits in police and fire departments across the United States. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 34 (3), 263-288.

Schermerhorn-Collins, A. L. (2017).  The challenges to gender integration in the career fire services: a comparative case study of men in nursing . Naval Postgraduate School Monterey United States.