Politics
Despite More Diverse Applicants, Those Promoted in CFD Remain Overwhelmingly White, Male: Watchdog Report
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While the Chicago Fire Department has seen increased diversity among its applicant pool in recent years, those who are promoted within the department remain overwhelmingly White and male, according to the city’s watchdog.
Chicago’s Office of Inspector General on Wednesday published a new report evaluating the CFD’s hiring and promotion processes, finding that while the initial firefighter and EMT applicant pool reflected the city’s racial and ethnic diversity, that representation shifted as applicants moved through the hiring process.
According to the report, this occurred as women and some racial and ethnic groups were disqualified at higher rates during the onboarding process at the city’s Fire Academy.
“Reflecting the City’s diversity in the hiring and promotions of firefighters and emergency medical technicians is an important goal,” Chicago Inspector General David Glockner said in a statement. “Our work provides the data stakeholders need to understand how our current processes are working and where there are opportunities for improvement.”
Glockner’s report examined the CFD’s hiring periods in 2006, 2014 and 2022.
His office found that the city’s use of hiring preferences — such as whether an applicant was a Chicago Public Schools graduate or military veteran — changed the makeup of who advanced, even as exam performance was consistent across groups.
According to the report, during the 2022 hiring period, the city’s use of those hiring preferences may have decreased representation of Black applicants. And the number of women applicants declined across racial and ethnic categories as they moved through the onboarding process to enter the Fire Academy.
The report also found White and male candidates comprised a majority of the department’s most recent promotions into the ranks of lieutenant, captain and battalion chief. More than 95% of promotional candidates are men, the report found, and promotional outcomes remain overwhelmingly White and male.
“As the promotional rank increased, the proportion of white candidates also went up,” the report states. “While white CFD members made up more than 60% of the candidate pools, they also had higher promotional exam scores on average, which may have contributed to their higher rate of promotion.”
According to the report, Chicago’s Department of Human Resources said it hasn’t examined the effect those hiring preferences have on the CFD’s goal of its demographics reflecting those of the city.
A CFD spokesperson in a statement noted the Department of Human Resources and the Office of Public Safety Administration manage the hiring and promotional processes, but added that CFD “will continue working with our city partners as they identify opportunities to improve the process and ensure qualified candidates have a fair opportunity to advance their careers with the Chicago Fire Department.”
