http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/northeast/hc-letters1010.artoct10,1,6663091.story?coll=hc-headlines-northeast
October 10 2004
I am responding to Frank Harris III's recent feature on race and the New Haven Fire Department ["The Color of Fire," Sept. 12].
I am a New Haven firefighter. One of the first statements by firefighter Amin to strike home for me was the one concerning the advantages of second-generation firefighters on promotional exams.
My father was a West Haven fire lieutenant who died in the line of duty after fighting the Armstrong Rubber Co. fire in November 1974. I was 17, my sister 9, my brother 7. Was that the day my "advantage" kicked in? The years you struggle without the guidance of your father in your life cannot be measured in points on examinations, nor can they be replaced with so called "patronage" promotions. I have never asked for, nor received, either.
I have taken two examinations on this job. The first exam was tossed because it was deemed "inaccurate" for the job it was testing for. I finished third. In the end, a veteran black lieutenant was appointed to the job by a black chief of the department, who was appointed by a black mayor. All of these appointments were considered "historic" at the time. Rather than focus on the racial aspects, I vowed to study harder next time.
On my only test for lieutenant, I finished 62 on a list where fractions of points separated the entire list. This list was closed out with seven openings unfilled because the next two firefighters on the list were deemed unworthy by the chief of the department at that time. For the record, the chief, the next two candidates and myself were all white, Irish-American Catholics. I received a 72 on my written exam score, with the last promoted candidate scoring 84.
My bone of contention was not with my unacceptable written score, but with the scoring on the oral examinations. Higher oral scores were given to lower-scoring minority candidates to move them in front of higher-scoring white candidates. My feeling is not only was I unfit for promotion due to what I felt was lack of "correct" preparation for that exam, but so were many of the fast-tracked minority candidates. The city disrespected the efforts of upper level minority candidates by flooding the list with lesser-prepared minorities and time has shown those second-level officers lag behind the stronger officers on all exams thereafter. The better prepared, upper level minority candidates have continued to excel and rise through the ranks. At some point, there is no replacement for knowledge, skill, experience and leadership.
The fact that I was a second-generation firefighter did nothing to help me prepare for that exam. If I had been promoted with a written score of 72, my lack of knowledge and leadership skills would have exposed me in a very short time. I was not prepared to lead firefighters into a life-and-death situation and be able to say the work I did with them would keep them safe. You cannot lower the bar when it comes to the safety of those who are supposed to be protecting the public. People will die on both sides of the equation.
The other factor you lose in this scenario is confidence and respect in your officer. No firefighter can blindly follow the orders of an officer without the confidence that they have experience in tough fires, tough spots and tough decisions. One of the first things I was told by a veteran firefighter when I was young on the job was about dark heat being the great equalizer on this job. Paper lieutenants and captains may pass all the tests, but great officers will get you through those tough basement, bedroom and attic fires where all you felt was dark heat and your first reaction was to bail out, rather than focus on the job at hand. That job is to put out that fire, check for possible trapped victims, and save these homes. The ability to lead firefighters through this situation is learned through experience, not taught in books, and certainly not gained through fast-track promotions.
I have worked for great and not-so-great officers of all colors in my career, and I certainly do not want to see the lives of younger, inexperienced firefighters in the hands of someone who gained all his skills as an officer working the polls for high-ranking politicians.
I also find it interesting that firefighters Ricks and Amin, and Lt. Gary Tinney and Lt. Robert Ortiz all found fault with the test after the results came out, not the day after they sat down for these tests. Firefighter Ricks also pointed out that he saw white firefighters studying materials before they were designated as "study guides" for the exam. All these materials are used in day-to-day education for any firefighter looking to gain an edge on the opposition. Not other firefighters, but fire itself. The science and chemistry of firefighting is changing year to year, with materials being updated as experience and training is conducted on these theories.
Any firefighter who wishes to gain the edge on the fireground and on exams is seeking out these publications, attending these seminars, and in many cases, trying to earn these degrees.
This is the real, post 9-11 Internet world, where the dangers are real and information is learned and passed more openly than in any time before. Lead, follow, or get out of the way. Some choose to lead. These are the ones you want in ranks where the decision to go into any building on any alarm hinges on knowing all inherent dangers involved. I am not going to look at the color of their skin before I follow them, but I will look them dead in the eye. That is where I will see their conviction, their certainty, their confidence. That is where I will know that this is the officer to follow into "battle."
Firefighter John F. Hines
New Haven Fire Dept.
Copyright 2004, Hartford Courant