• Does your fire department, college fire science program, cadet/Explorer program have a value proposition for diversity?
• How Generation Y savvy are you? Why does it matter?
• How do you demonstrate your commitment to diversity when your organization has few minorities and women?
• Who can be your recruiting partners?

The Why I Chose Fire User Guide has information that answers those questions and practical tips for planning and giving effective presentations that feature the video. Here’s an overview.

Develop a value proposition for diversity

Supporting diversity is not about numbers. Supporting diversity is not about lowering standards.  Supporting diversity does not change the values that Fire/EMS holds dear and exemplifies every day: Selflessness, safety, being a team player, integrity, honesty, fitness, courage (physical and moral), caring, compassion, commitment, and competence—it adds to them.

Supporting diversity has clear and compelling value propositions.

The tangible results of a diverse fire department include:

• Increased perspectives for problem-solving and innovation and adapting in positive ways to a fast-changing world.
• Increased effectiveness of services that reflect an understanding of multicultural practices, behaviors, and social norms.
• Increased volunteer resources from multicultural communities for language translation, assistance in out-reach for emergency incidents and community disasters.
• More effective and culturally relevant fire prevention and life safety programs.
• Reduced loss of life and property from not calling or delaying calling 9-1-1 because of fearing uniformed firefighters and being confused about fire services.
• Reduced misuse of services—calling 9-1-1 for non-emergencies and medical care.
• Increased community support for budgets, funding for resources, and financial security for first responders.

Why being Generation Y savvy matters

The fire service is a legacy profession. A significant number of firefighters were brought up in firefighting families or had friends that encouraged them to test. This is natural. We share what we love with the people we hangout with. The people we hangout with tend most often to be like us. So how do we get from where we are now to greater diversity?

Opportunities for positive change can be accelerated by events and historical conditions. The large number of boomer retirements that will be taking place for another 4 to 7 years enable Fire/EMS to recruit from the most diverse and inclusive of any previous generation—Generation Y.

Born between 1980 and 2000, Generation Y (also known as Gen Y, Millennials, Gen Why, Net Generation), number around 100 million or a third of our total population. Gen Y is considered to be the largest and most diverse generation in our history. They’ve grown-up with multiculturalism so they’re more inclusive than any previous generation. They’re also more family, more civic, more service and more team-oriented. Gen Ys have the potential of enabling us to grow a phenomenal next generation of Fire/EMS personnel.

Some important facts about Generation Y:

• They will make up almost 50% of all employees in the next few years.
• They’re tech savvy and Internet centric.
• They’re diverse, get diversity and are inclusive.
• They’re busy and active and have been exposed to a wide range of activities and resources.
• They’re sociable, optimistic, collaborative, out-spoken, patriotic, goal and achievement-oriented and value family.
• They believe in serving the community—thinking in terms of the ‘greater good’ and believing that ‘selfishness’ is  the major cause of problems in the U.S.
• They’re confident and don’t believe in ‘paying their dues’ or a prerequisite number of years of experience are absolutes for success.
• They believe in the future and their role in making a positive and big difference.
• They want balance in their lives—not having to sacrifice family for career or cut out time for other activities and interests.
• They accept that the world is constantly changing because that’s the way it has always been for them.

To get ready for Generation Y, begin from the inside-out

A new strategic vision becomes a reality when it’s driven by the top leadership and supported by the rank and file. It’s a process that takes time and begins from the inside-out, starting with building a culture of inclusion.

A culture of inclusion supports a sense of belonging: Feeling a level of confidence, supportive energy and commitment from others so that all members of the organization can do their best work.
Dr. Steven Jones, CEO of Jones & Associates Consulting, Inc.

• Have no tolerance—in policy and practice—for discrimination, hostility, harassment, disrespect, shunning, isolation, and hazing.
• Model and reinforce a respectful work and living environment where mutual trust, support and teamwork flourishes.
• Establish pre-recruitment coaching programs to support women and men of color applicants.
• Establish mentoring programs for women and men of color recruits.
• Have courageous conversations about diversity and inclusion.

Find recruiting partners in your multicultural communities

Connect to your multicultural communities so you can enroll them as recruiting partners. It’s all about relationships and building relationships take time to develop and nurture.

If you have a strategic vision for diversity then the process for identifying target groups and building relationships with these groups, starts now! It doesn’t matter if you just finished a recruitment campaign or don’t have one planned until next year. The departments that are most successful in their recruitment of women of all cultures and men of color make connecting to their multicultural communities and identifying qualified, diverse, inclusive, and safe candidates an on-going process.

In building relationships with your multicultural communities, you’re developing cultural competence.

Cultural competence refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures. Cultural competence comprises four components: (a) Awareness of one's own cultural worldview, (b) Attitude towards cultural differences, (c) Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews, and (d) cross-cultural Skills.  Developing cultural competence results in an ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures.

Reference: Mercedes Martin & Billy Vaughn (2007). Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management magazine, pp. 31-36. DTUI Publications Division: San Francisco, CA.

For some ‘brass tacks’ on how to connect to your multicultural communities, prepare for presentations, address key talking points, and a checklist you can use to structure and evaluate presentations, contact ff@fire2020.org for a free copy of the complete Why I Chose Fire User Guide!