Tensions are high in the Alexandria Fire Department as racism, sexism and preferential treatment have led to “significant mistrust, suspicion and loss of trust in organizational processes and leaders,” according to a 2020 report.
“Perceptions of racism, sexism and preference undermine trust in departmental processes such as allocation, resource allocation, discipline and promotion, ”notes the 2020 Organizational Assessment Report for the Alexandria Fire Department. “Women are fighting a conservative mindset that hasn’t gone away. Conflicts and related conditions fester until they become serious. “
Fire chief Corey Smedley says his staff are exhausted from COVID-19 and he is working to address several issues. He said that racial relations within the department were still a work in progress and that he kept hearing negative comments against AFD academy classes filled with women and minorities.
“I can tell you that based on my experience, sometimes I get a few people who treat me in a certain way that is not what I’ve seen my Caucasian colleagues do,” Smedley told ALXnow. “Especially my predecessor … When there are more women and minorities in the recruiting class, I get comments that not everyone is suitable for the job … We need to improve our apprenticeship practices and the philosophy of apprenticeship.”
Last summer, the results of the annual city-wide employee survey were inconsistent. Only about 25 percent of respondents (147 AFD employees) saw the department as a great place to work and saw career opportunities for advancement.
The report said: “Some contestants suggested that the race may have been a factor in the promotion of some members. Some feel that there are members who feel that staff trained by minority instructors may not be as capable as those taught by white teachers.
All of this is happening while the department is undergoing a reorganization. Just days after the city signed a collective bargaining agreement, AFD announced that around two-thirds of AFD employees would be relocated to the city.
“The department has hit a new low in terms of morale and low confidence in executives,” wrote an AFD official. “If executives don’t hire their employees, get input from (and listen to) people who actually do the job, and so on, we’ll continue to dive into the lowest value we’ve ever had. There are a lot of talented people working and taking care of it here; This number is rapidly decreasing from day to day. “
AFD officials said a number of issues, including racism, sexism and pay, plague the department.
“Blatant racism and sexism,” wrote an AFD employee. “Pay in, fools. How dare you hide behind Covid and the bodies of dead Americans so as not to give me a raise? The inflation rate is around 2 percent per year. In reality, I get less money because my purchasing power is decreasing. Dates are a joke. “
The restructuring will, among other things, require the relocation of more than a dozen members of the technical rescue team and its resources (including the HAZMAT team and the flammable liquid and fire foam unit) from fire station 206 at 4609 to the station in Potomac Yard Seminar Street in the West End.
Morale has never been lower, Josh Turner, president of Alexandria Fire Fighters Inc. and the International Association of Firefighters Local 2141 told ALXnow.
“I’ve never seen such low morale in the fire department in my 11 years here,” said Turner. “People are tired. I have members who are overworked. Between the COVID vaccination centers and the normal emergencies we run, people are tired and feel like their leaders are not looking for them. “
AFD Chief of Staff Chris Thompson was hired in February 2020. Thompson was a recruiter for AFD for six years prior to his promotion, and said he fought against an exclusive culture that discouraged women and minorities from promotion. He said he had recruited about half the department and had received a lot of feedback on recruiting “the wrong people.”
“I believe any change creates stress,” Thompson said. “The changes we’re making are essentially a reorganization. And that’s basically a moving machine that changes where people have to work and changes some of the responsibilities. “
Smedley said the staff are working on the following 14 initiatives described in the report, including developing an advisory committee with staff from different departments; Development of an administrative team; Creation of an EMS draft for promotion to higher ranks; Revised communications within the department and worked with the city’s Race and Social Equity Officer to develop a Departmental Equity Core Team to train employees on race and justice issues.
“I take on different thoughts and opinions,” said Smedley. “I encourage people to be courageous about their beliefs, opinions and passion. But they have to be brought into line with our values. “