EARLY RECRUITMENT IN THE INNER CITY: A POSSIBLE ANSWER TO THE FIRE SERVICE'S DIVERSITY PROBLEM

The Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) and Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) created the Arsenal Technical High School (ATHS) Fire Rescue Program (FRP) for juniors and seniors in the heart of Indianapolis. The program's goals are multidimensional—community outreach, a pathway to a high school diploma, and a recruitment tool. For 10 years, however, the IFD has hired not a single program graduate. This research examines the IFD's history of recruitment, government-issued consent decree, and current demographics, comparing the department's diversity challenges to those in the workplace generally and in police recruitment. Given this context, this thesis defines the intended outcomes, critical problems, successes, and failures of the ATHS-FRP and offers a series of recommendations: incorporate other IPS schools into the program, create "legacy spots" for children whose parents work for the IFD, develop an emergency medical technician class during the senior year, emphasize IFD 9-1-1 telecommunications as an available career path, add half a point to the scoring packets of program graduates in good standing, create a part-time civilian job with the IFD to bridge the gap between graduation and the minimum hiring age of 21, and possibly, relocate the program to the new IFD Training Facility.
Civilian, Indianapolis Fire Department
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