Charlotte's fire chief sat down one-on-one with Eyewitness News to talk about his mission to push for diversity.
This comes days after firefighters packed City Hall, standing united against more claims of unfair treatment of minorities. Chief Pete Key said the department is taking a grassroots approach to recruiting and that wherever he goes, he does his best to bring people into the department.
"I'm at car washes. I'm at Walmart. I'm at Harris Teeters. If I'm in line and a guy, a person, is working, I'm going to start talking about the fire department," Key said.
Recruiting diverse candidates is the city's top priority for the Charlotte Fire Department. Eyewitness News reported last year on concerns over the lack of diversity within the department and the number of minorities being promoted. When former Chief John Hannan retired, Key stepped up and revived initiatives to boost diversity.