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Studies suggest a gentler, benefits-oriented approach yields more minority candidates
The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) hardly appears to have an image problem, given the adulation it received for the heroism shown by its members -- 343 of whom lost their lives -- in the 9/11 rescue effort.
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The FDNY is roughly 91 percent white, 5 percent Latino, 3 percent African American and 1 percent Asian or Native American. Of its more than 11,000 members, only 33 are women |
But as the department begins its recruitment drive with the approach of the firefighters examination this October, it is under criticism for being far less integrated than the city's other uniformed services.
The exam takes place once every four years, and before the last recruiting drive, in 2002, the department launched an ad campaign portraying firefighters -- white, black and female -- as noble and heroic.
The reality, however, was -- and remains -- that white men make up 91 percent of the force, which, critics say, hardly reflects the city's diversity.
The FDNY is committed to turning the situation around, and with the help of a Columbia University study, it will be launching a new ad campaign at the end of this month, emphasizing the flexibility and benefits of the firefighter's lifestyle.
This gentler approach was the key recommendation of a series of four studies conducted by second-year M.P.A. students at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). William Eimicke, director of SIPA's Picker Center for Executive Education, took the initiative to involve Columbia graduate students in the project. A specialist in improving nonprofits through management training, Eimicke has a long-standing involvement with the city's fire department. In addition to designing this capstone project for M.P.A. students, he runs a fire officers management program for Columbia Business School's Institute for Not-for-Profit Management.
Commenting on the SIPA students' findings, Eimicke said that their most startling discovery had been the level of confusion that exists in the general public about firefighting as a profession. "Part of the reason for minorities not applying is that they feel unwanted -- it's a white male club. But in our focus groups and surveys, when we asked questions leading to that conclusion, the vast majority of respondents thought the force was diverse."
Eimicke said the studies recommended emphasizing the salary and benefits in the ad campaign and, more importantly, finding ways to "put the risks in perspective." Students developed survey tools and conducted interviews and focus groups, he explained.
Shontel Ward, a recent M.P.A. graduate who worked on the study last fall, said that at first she wondered why a big government agency would develop a marketing campaign, as advertising is something she tends to associate with the private sector. However, she and her fellow students soon came to see the usefulness of developing a strategy targeted at women and minority men.
"It was a matter of saying, 'We want people who want to be firefighters and are representative of New York,'" said Ward. "So the questions we were trying to answer were, how to promote an opportunity for New Yorkers looking for jobs, how to market broadly and reach a diverse group of people."
Don Shacknai, deputy fire commissioner, worked closely with the M.P.A. students and Columbia faculty. "Their work was extremely valuable," Shaknai said. "The study findings went directly into the development of our ad campaign, which is part of our larger grassroots recruitment campaign. They guided us in how to correct some of the misconceptions about the benefits, the salary and the nature of the job, and to create a sense of urgency."
He added, "The partnership with Columbia is one we hope to continue."
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