Los Angeles' mayor announced on Thursday afternoon his intentions for a mass overhaul of the Fired Department's hiring system process.
Following a storm of criticism about the methods by which Los Angeles Fire Fighters are brought in, Mayor Eric Garcetti said he will scrap the process, the LA Times reported.
"I have determined that the Fire Department's recruiting process is fatally flawed," Garceitty wrote in a statement, adding that he decided to take action once he found that LAFD "staff organized special recruiting workshops for LAFD insiders."
According to the Los Angeles Times, thousands of Fire Department hopefuls who made it through the written portion of the hiring exam were turned away from the recruit class due to reported failures to file results from certain fitness tests.
Garcetti and Interim Fire Chief James G. Featherstone described the hiring process as one-sided and arbitrary, the LA Times reported. Others skeptical of the system said applicants who were more than qualified - even some who'd had previous experience firefighting and doing paramedic work in the field - were turned away because they didn't submit their data within a one-minute filing period, spring 2013.
A fresh class comprised of 70 recruits is currently training. Another class of 70 trainees will reportedly be suspended, pending an investigation of the hiring process, which will be carried out by officials from the Rand Corp.
According to the LA Times, at least 20 percent of these 70 recruits are related to firefighters currently working for the LAFD. Additionally, officials in Los Angeles pointed out that the current class is comprised of only one woman, and 60 percent whites. The lack of diversity creates a problem for the Fire Department, city lawmakers claimed this week.
The agency has reportedly tried to reduce years of bias and discrimination criticism, the LA Times reported.
Mayor Garcetti told the Times he hopes this overhaul will create a more well-balanced LAFD - one that accurately reflects the city it serves.
No comment from the Fire Department just yet.
