Southern Marin fire aims to hire more diverse workforce

In an effort to address a systemic lack of diversity within the fire service, the Southern Marin Fire Protection District and other local fire agencies are ramping up efforts to bring more women and people of color into their ranks. At its March 24 teleconference meeting, the Southern Marin fire board of directors voted 6-0, with member Kurt Chun absent, to adopt an initiative aimed at improving “diversity, equity and inclusion” within the district, which in part serves northern Tiburon and Strawberry. The three-pronged initiative, which the district hopes to have in place by January 2022, includes recruitment of women and minorities by partnering with the California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee, which has actively recruited fire personnel from underrepresented groups for more than a decade. The district is also partnering with the Frederick Leon Marcus Youth Academy in Marin City to spark interest in firefighting in young adults.

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