OH Fire Department Wants Firm for Diversity Push

The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department wants to enlist the help of a local minority-owned creative firm to increase diversity in its ranks, but some city councilmen aren’t sure they want to award the contract without first going to bid.

Fire officials on Tuesday proposed contracting with Vince Rocha Productions LLC’s vCreative to produce a recruitment campaign for the department. It would cost $25,400 for 2019 and $34,200 for 2020, for a two-year total of $59,600.

It’s the same firm that worked with the Toledo Police Department on its recent recruitment campaign — which Fire Chief Brian Byrd said was a success — but fire officials are proposing a more extensive contract.

• RELATED: OH Department Sees Most Diverse Ranks in Decades

“We consulted with TPD, their recruiting team, and also I talked to Chief [George] Kral regarding utilizing that company, and they sing their praises,” Chief Byrd told councilmen during their agenda review meeting. “The diversity they had with their last class, they attribute part of that success to that company.”

The police department’s 65th academy class, which graduated March 1, was the most diverse class in the past 30 years, officials said, and about 45 percent of the 66th class comprises women and people of color.

The fire department this year also saw one of its most diverse classes since 1984. Out of 47 recruits who started in February, 30 were white, 12 were black, four were Hispanic, and one was American Indian. Forty-one were men and six were women.

Chief Byrd speaks often of wanting the fire department to better reflect the demographics of Toledo.

“I do see down the road a positive effect, because if we recruit qualified diverse candidates up front then that gives us a larger pool of people for promotion down the road,” he said. “And that has been an issue that we’ve had. We’re trying now to put the effort in to address those issues so that the department becomes reflective of the community that we serve.”

Chief Byrd also said the department’s current recruiting campaign is limited to about a six-week period before the firefighter test, and it takes firefighters away from their other responsibilities.

“What this does is it gives us the ability to have an ongoing recruitment campaign year-round utilizing minimal personnel on our part,” he said of the proposal to contract with a firm.

Councilman Tom Waniewski first made the point that he believes the city’s human resources department should be helping with recruitment rather than each agency being responsible for its own. He then said he knows there are other minority-owned marketing agencies in the area, and he would like to see the work go out to bid.

“The one thing that I like about bids is you see where the money is going,” Mr. Waniewski said.

Councilman Nick Komives agreed and said he would like to give other firms a chance to bid on the work. Fire officials said the company provided a sole source letter indicating it is the only firm of its kind in the area that does that type of marketing and recruiting work, but Mr. Komives said he disputes that assertion.

“I think there are other marketing firms that are owned by minorities throughout this area,” he said. “I’m not 100 percent confident that I’m willing to waive competitive bidding in this process.”

Councilman Larry Sykes requested they take more time to consider the department’s proposal rather than vote on the matter next week.

“I don’t know this company. I question when I spend taxpayer dollars how effective and efficient they’re going to be,” he said.

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