April 25, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Santa Monica -based Rand Corp. releases report about LAFD women and minority firefighters

Female athletes and recent military veterans belonging to a minority racial group, such as Hispanic, Asian and black, should be targeted for recruitment, Rand Corp. researchers recommended. (Thinkstock)
Rand Corp. researchers recommended that female athletes and recent military veterans belonging to a minority racial group should be targeted for recruitment. (Thinkstock)

More outreach is needed to increase the number of women and minority firefighters in the Los Angeles Fire Department, according to a report released today by a Santa Monica-based think tank.

Female athletes and recent military veterans belonging to a minority racial group, such as Hispanic, Asian and black, should be targeted for recruitment, Rand Corp. researchers recommended in the 150-page report.

Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered the $270,000 study from Rand last year in an effort to improve the city’s firefighter hiring process amid criticism that the LAFD’s recruitment tends to favor relatives of existing employees, resulting in less diversity.

The Rand report also suggests that city leaders increase the fire department’s budget for recruitment efforts, which are currently being carried out by four individuals.

Rand researchers said fire stations could serve as recruitment centers, with staff at each site undergoing training to become “official recruiters.”

The Rand report also recommends that the city bring in experts to devise a selection process that is more tied to the skills “required to be an effective firefighter.”

Some applicants for city firefighter jobs complained last year that the city’s process for whittling down the number of initial applicants — often from an initial pool of 10,000 — to a more manageable number is too arbitrary.

In a recent hiring round, only the applicants who were able to submit paperwork within the first 60 seconds after the submission window began were moved onto the next round, which some said excluded qualified potential recruits.

Garcetti temporarily halted the recruitment process last year, saying he wanted to develop a better way of hiring firefighters using suggestions from Rand.

He ended up restarting the hiring before the Rand report was released, this time revising the winnowing process so that the smaller pool of applicants maintains the same gender and racial demographics as the initial group.

Garcetti spokesman Yusef Robb said the mayor is pleased the Rand report contains some recommendations that the city has already implemented.

“We will closely review this final report as we continue our work to ensure L.A. hires the best possible firefighters,” he said.

Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said he will review the report and work with the mayor’s and personnel offices to “continue to refine the hiring process to employ a diverse field of qualified candidates as LAFD firefighters.”

The city began hiring firefighters again last year after a five-year hiring freeze prompted by budget cuts.

The first graduating class since the freeze was lifted contained no women. The original class of 70 recruits who started the 20-week-long training was about 55 percent white and had one women who dropped out. This group also contained 13 sons and three nephews of firefighters.

A recent class that started training in December contains four women — two who are white, one Asian and one Hispanic. The rest of the class is made up of 19 white, 13 Hispanic, five black and two Asian men.

Related Posts

(Video) The Willows: 30 Years Going Strong

April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025

Founded in 1994, The Willows Community School, located in Culver City, California, is a Developmental Kindergarten through 8th grade non-profit, co-educational...

ASTEME Camps Explore Science, Technology, Math and Engineering

April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025

Many teachers and parents hear this question daily when it comes to schooling: “When am I ever going to use...

Skirball Center’s Puppet Festival Promises an Afternoon of Imagination and Play

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

SoCal’s Top Puppeteers Will Perform Alongside Live Music, DIY Puppet-Making The Skirball Cultural Center is set to transform into a...

Q&A: No Age Limit on Home Care Management & Home Safety, Tips from a Care Manager

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

In-home safety issues that go unnoticed — cracked sidewalks, broken railings or uneven flooring for example — are often the root...

West Hollywood Braces for Controversial Rally, Reaffirms Commitment to Equality

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

City of West Hollywood Condemns Harmful Rhetoric Ahead of Planned Assembly City officials and public safety leaders in West Hollywood...

Culver City Police Hosts DEA Drug Take Back Day on April 26

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

Dispose of Expired Prescriptions Safely and Anonymously The Culver City Police Department will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back...

Former Cedars-Sinai OB-GYN Accused of Sexually Abusing Patients for Four Decades

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

Ten Women Say Their Reports Were Ignored as Brock Continued to Practice for Decades. A group of 10 women has...

LAX/Metro Station is One Step Closer to Transforming the Airport Commute

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

New Multi-Modal Metro Station Connects Angelenos to the Airport Metro Board Chair and Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced...

FBI Unravels Alleged Plot to Sell Stolen Andy Warhol Print in Beverly Hills

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

Mid-City Pawn Shop Owner Charged in High-Stakes Art Scheme The owner of a pawn shop in Los Angeles’ Mid-City neighborhood...

The Brian Jonestown Massacre Drops New Double A-Side Ahead of U.S. Tour

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025

Legendary Psych-Rockers Set April 25 Release and Fall North American Tour The Brian Jonestown Massacre is set to release a...

(Video) Matú Kai Brentwood: The full experience

April 23, 2025

April 23, 2025

Sister restaurant to Matú in Beverly Hills, located at 11777 San Vicente Blvd. Sister restaurant to Matú in Beverly Hills,...

Uncle Stevey’s Bagels Wins Westside Hearts with Next-Level Bagels, Premium Sandwiches, and Local Coffee

April 23, 2025

April 23, 2025

Family-Run Shop Serves Delicious and Thoughtfully Curated Bagels With Love By Dolores Quintana A little more than a year since...

Santa Monica’s Socalo Toasts Pali Wine Co. with a Five-Course Culinary Celebration

April 23, 2025

April 23, 2025

Enjoy Celebrated Central Coast Wines, Including a 100-Point Red Blend Socalo, the acclaimed Mexican restaurant from celebrity chefs Mary Sue...

Go Go Bird Teams Up with Chef Chris Oh for Korean-Inspired Fried Chicken Sandwich

April 23, 2025

April 23, 2025

Crispy, Saucy, Spicy: Chris Oh’s Fried Chicken Sandwich Lands in Culver City Go Go Bird, located in Culver City’s Citizen...

Fogo de Chão Hosts Wine Lover’s Dream Night with Chilean Winery VIK

April 23, 2025

April 23, 2025

Diners Will Enjoy a Chef-Curated South American Menu, Highly Rated Wines Wine lovers and culinary connoisseurs are invited to gather...