CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The Chicago Fire Department is still lagging behind other city agencies in diversifying its ranks, and the African-American commissioner is not happy.
Fire Commissioner Annette Nance Holt told South Side Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor that there are about 4,700 uniformed personnel in the Fire Department. How many are Black, Taylor asked? Nance Holt replied the current number was 669.
“Without consent decrees and without any type of mechanism to increase it, that’s where we stand today, unfortunately, to my pain too, trust me,” the commissioner said.
Taylor is concerned. She noted the number is about the same as it’s been since the 1980s.
“It seems like there was a very big mistake at getting rid of the consent decree because there is nothing to hold us accountable to make sure that we are getting more Black men and women to become firefighters, is that correct?” Taylor asked.
Nance Holt said that Taylor is not wrong.
“It happened under the last administration, and I did not agree to that, at all,” Nance Holt said. “I fought for the last commissioner to keep it.”
Nance Holt said there won’t be much improvement very soon because they are not giving a new firefighters exam and are hiring from the old lists.
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