The Dallas Morning News
Copyright 2006 The Dallas Morning News
Tonight, fire breaks out in your house. You and your family are trapped inside, with minutes, maybe even seconds, left to live. You hear the fire trucks screech to a halt on the street. What’s your first thought?
A) “I hope those firefighters are strong enough to chop through the doors and carry us all to safety before we suffocate or burn to death.”
B) “I hope our fire department doesn’t penalize out-of-shape men and women.”
If you said “B,” then you’re thinking like the city of Dallas, or at least the $29,000 Colorado consultant who designed a test that’s easier for Dallas Fire-Rescue recruits to pass. Boy, have they ever: City records show that 97 percent of applicants passed the new test — a 30 percent to 40 percent higher pass rate than the old exam.
Dallas Morning News reporter Tanya Eiserer reports that several national firefighting experts found that the new test, which was implemented in May, has the net effect of making it easier for women to pass - and makes it more likely that the city will hire firefighters who are physically incapable of doing the job.
Wanting to get more women onto the fire-rescue squads is a good thing, but not at the risk of public safety. Austin has a much more sensible approach: Keep the rigorous test, but give recruits coaching and physical training to prepare them to pass it.
The Dallas Civil Service Board should exercise common sense by rejecting the expensive, dangerous new test.