Fire Department Postpones Interviews to Rewrite Rules

The Los Angeles Fire Department has abruptly canceled interviews for captains’ positions because department officials have failed to heed a City Council directive to overhaul the interview process in response to a critical audit that found racism and sexism pervaded the department’s hiring and promotion practices.

More than 90 firefighters had signed up for the interviews, which were scheduled to start Friday, but now will be postponed for at least two months. Fire Chief William Bamattre said he wants to draft a detailed job description for the Captain II position, and may expand the selection process from a simple interview with a three-person panel to include a practical or written examination.

Though department leaders, union representatives and City Council members said they support expanded selection criteria and a more objective process, many expressed concern that the postponement came at the last minute.

“This wasn’t a surprise that they were going to have Captain II interviews, and yet they didn’t do anything,” said Don Forrest, of United Fire Fighters of Los Angeles City. “You’ve got a lot of people who’ve taken a lot of time getting ready. Shame on the department for canceling at the last minute.”

Laura Chick, chairwoman of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, worried about the impact on the morale of the firefighters, and wondered whether department brass are dragging their feet.

“If someone was giving marching orders to revise the guidelines and it wasn’t done, that’s not OK,” Chick said. “To have people waiting to test for promotion and have it changed at the last minute is not acceptable.”

Bamattre said the late cancellation “happened by accident” and that he takes full responsibility. “We can do this test better, so let’s not do it halfheartedly and open ourselves to criticism again,” he said.

Moving from Captain I to Captain II provides a 5% to 6% pay raise--from about $63,000 to about $70,000 annually.

A 1994 audit by the city Personnel Department found that despite 20 years of affirmative action policies, there were no blacks, Asian Americans or women in the Fire Department’s top 20 command posts, 95% of which were held by white men. Women made up 3% of the department, the audit found. As of last summer, the 3,100-member department was 23% Latino, 11% African American and 3.5% Asian American.

Fire Commissioner Leslie Song Winner and Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg, key proponents of diversifying the department, said the delay was essential. “We need to do this the right way,” Winner said. “We need to start making change.”