According to Baltimore Fire Chief William J. Goodwin Jr., the procedures used to select the next entering class or fire fighters were “absolutely fair.” The recruiting and hiring process, he affirmed, “was completely fair and above board.” And, he added, “the process will be changed immediately.”
The problem is that the successful applicants turned out to be all white, despite the fact that, according to the chief, the test used “was supposed to be one least adversely impacting minorities.”
“the test used ‘was supposed to be one least adversely impacting minorities.'”
How about using a test that best selects competent firemen?
This is acutely painful for me as I was passed over for a firefighter position in order that the force be more ‘diverse’. You’d be shocked at just how far down the list they had to go in order to achieve diversity. At least two standard deviations.
I really can
We certainly can’t have hiring based on merit and competency, can we? That just seems wrong.
Scary. Having been involved in a fire in the city of Baltimore (back in 97), I owe a debt of gratitude to the city’s bravest. I find it difficult to believe that these statements about the test are justified only because no black applicants were accepted. If there was ever a job where you should accept only the most qualified individual, this would be it.