City officials hope a consultant can help attract a more diverse pool of job applicants to the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau.
City Council on Tuesday introduced a resolution that would authorize the hiring of the National Testing Network at a maximum cost of $49,875 for a study of fire bureau hiring practices and the inability to attract more women and minorities. Council is will vote on the measure in coming weeks.
The fire bureau consists of 670 employees. Of those, 99% male and 90% are white, according to the city.
“We are not meeting what I would consider a fair balance of diversity in the fire bureau,” Fire Chief Darryl Jones said. “I’m not saying I’m trying to get to a specific number. There is no quota. We’re just trying to do better.”
Pittsburgh for years has struggled with hiring minorities and women in its public safety bureaus despite hosting job fairs, TV ads, community outreach efforts and a partnership with Westinghouse High School to train students for careers as police officers, firefighters and paramedics.