Richmond fire dept. may exclude white men

The Richmond Review obtained a two-page internal document that reads: "We would see this as an ongoing initiative until the community is aptly represented in the department."

According to the community newspaper, internal bulletins have now been posted in local fire halls instructing all copies of the document to be destroyed.

The new hiring policy appears to be an attempt to address allegations of harassment. Early in 2006, all four female firefighters from Richmond Fire-Rescue walked off the job, complaining of workplace harassment.

"There's been a lot of public scrutiny on not only our need to change our internal culture, the way we treat one another, but also our ethnic and racial and gender cross-section," Richmond Fire-Rescue Chief Jim Hancock told the Richmond Review earlier this week.

"It's been identified that this is an initiative that we'll need to work on."

Karen White is one of the Richmond firefighters who left the force after 14 years with the fire service, nine of them with Richmond.

She says she endured a workplace that included co-workers who didn't want to work with women as well as exposure to pornography. She also alleges she was personally threatened and had her gear tampered.

"There just came a time when I drew the line," she told Canada AM. "I was definitely harassed and I was an observer of some pretty horrendous harassment as well."

White says the proposed new hiring policy would not fix the problem and would only create the public perception that the department is lowering physical fitness standards.

What's more, if standards were lowered, it would create resentment within other members of the force.

"If the standards are in any way lowered, that's problematic," she says.

"I think acceptance into that culture is critical for longevity in the fire department."

The final version of the hiring plan, which drew inspiration from Halifax and Phoenix fire departments, has yet to be drafted or submitted to council. It is expected to be revealed to city council within the next few weeks and made accessible to the public in the following months.

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie told the Richmond Review it's clear that a culture change is needed in the department. And although preference may be given to women and minorities, if those positions can't be filled, Caucasian men would be welcome, he said.

White says the force definitely needs to hire more women and minorities but they need to do it in an equitable way, hiring only "the best candidates for the job," and not excluding men on principle.

"Excluding anybody is problematic and that's why the standards have to be fair and equitable," she said. "So that's my hope: that the hiring will be fair and equitable."