Mobile Fire Fighters Association

Local 1349
September 12
th
2014

To: Richard Landolt
City of Mobile Public Safety Director
richard.landolt@cityofmobile.org
From: Dewayne Patrick
President- Mobile Fire Fighters Association
lu1349@gmail.com
Re: Public Statements Made in the Media

Mr. Landolt,

I write to you today, to express great concern, with regards to recent statements made by you to the local media
outlets. Yesterday, citizens of Mobile and surrounding communities saw you make the following public
statement, on a local news station. I quote your following statement: Well we want both the Fire and the
Police Dept. to look like the community. You dont want a fire truck going into a community with all
white firemen on it. And that doesnt reflect upon the community. And we have that talent in the
community anyway to get there. Mr. Landolt, a statement like that can place our first responders throughout
all parts of the City, under unwarranted scrutiny. To imply that you dont want a fire truck with all white
firemen on it responding in a certain community, can be scrutinized to infer that a particular crew might alter or
withhold certain services, based on race. This could not be further from the truth. I find this statement not
only to be inappropriate and inflammatory, but also undermining of the Fire Dept.s mission statement, that all
employees are tasked with carrying out.
First, to address the diversity issue; as we have openly stated in meetings with the Fire Dept.s Command
Staff and with you personally, the Mobile Firefighters Association stands ready to assist with the recruiting and
hiring, of a more diversified structure of high quality professionals for the Fire Dept. This is an area that we have
had experience with, and have participated in numerous recruiting efforts for the past 20 years that I can attest to. We can
bring to the table the backing of the International Association of Fire Fighters with their depth and experience and proven
track record. One of our associations executive officers personally volunteered to be on that committee and
assist as needed. Our organizations membership is open to all racial groups, both male and female, throughout
the Fire Dept. And while no one is opposed to Mayor Stimpsons goal of increasing the racial makeup on the
Fire Dept., the manner in which you achieve that goal, has to be a different approach, than the path you have
started down since yesterday. Mr. Landolt, you can not single out any specific group of individuals on the fire
truck, just because you do not like the grouping of that race, on that particular apparatus, on any given day. I
can assure you that your statement is not indicative of the entire emergency response table for the Fire Dept.
What should be conveyed to the community is while the City strives to increase diversity amongst the ranks of
the Fire Dept.; regardless of what kind of individual is responding to the various emergencies throughout the
City, we all are quality trained professionals here to assist them with their needs. And in order for the City to
increase diversity within the Fire Dept., you have to look at the multiple variables that are necessary to achieve
that goal. One of those variables being, how many individuals of a particular race, are actually signing up to
become a Firefighter/Firemedic. While the racial makeup of the Fire Dept. has been greatly emphasized, are
those same numbers available for the Police Dept., Publics Works Division, and the City Administration? I
believe that is a fair question, because the statement that you made yesterday would suggest that the Personnel
Board, the City of Mobile and the Mobile Fire Rescue Dept. are possibly discriminating against a particular
race. And if that is your official position on the said matter, I ask that you disclose publicly, documentation to
support those findings. In the meantime, I strongly urge your office to become familiar with the process on how
to become a Firefighter/Firemedic, the qualifications that must be met, and the process on how the Personnel
Board ranks and prepares a list of candidates to be submitted to the Fire Dept. Then I would contact the Fire
Dept.s Training Center and speak to the Chief over that division, and familiarize yourself on how a qualified
candidate from the personnel board, comes on to the Fire Dept. You just might be surprised what you find out.

Respectfully,
Dewayne Patrick
President Mobile Firefighters Association L-1349
251-753-6426