Today we hear all about wokeism, diversity and equity hiring, and training, rainbows, gender-fluid, pronouns, and more. When I was in school in the late 60’s to mid 70’s (high school and college), the controversies were about “Affirmative Action” and “School Bussing”. This post focuses on my Fire Chief Dad’s first black and female hires and asks the question, was he racist and/or sexist?
My high school was the only larger public high school in the city and, so, was already completely integrated as it took in all from a community of just under 100,000. The elementary schools, on the other hand, experienced bussing first as those in the inner city schools and the outer city schools (we really didn’t have suburbia in Covington) were moved around.
I supported (and still do) the concept. Implementation, in some cases, was problematic, including my dad’s work situation. He was one of three “Chiefs” for a Fire Department that had about 10 ‘houses’ throughout the city. Keep in mind that this story was involving new concepts. The question…. was my dad racist or sexist? My answer…..ummmmm somewhat, but not blatantly. See how he dealt with an issue of each.
Phil Gardner, was a fireman for about 32 years and I grew up around the firehouse. My first memories were of an old firehouse built originally for horse-drawn equipment. The sleeping quarters were on the second floor. When an alarm sounded, the men would slide down the pole landing next to one of the trucks.
Since it was a job where he was on duty for 24hrs and then off for 48, we would sometimes visit him at work. I remember getting to sit in the driver’s seat and pull the cord that rang the bell as well as in the seat atop the rear ladders of the “hook and ladder” truck. Eventually, he was one of the three deputy “chiefs” (each had a ‘shift’) of a moderately large fire department in Covington, Kentucky.
He moved into the new station in 1975.
Anywhere in the city in 90 seconds
He claimed that he could have someone on the scene anywhere in the city 90 seconds after an alarm from one of the city’s 10 firehouses.
I saw that first hand once as my siblings and I were in the firehouse as an alarm sounded. His instruction was to “stand over there against the wall RIGHT NOW and I’ll have someone come and get you”. As the firehouse PA system was announcing the location and description, 8 firehouse doors were going up, firefighters were scrambling, engines were starting and in about 15-20 seconds, the chief car, ambulance, rescue truck, pumper, and ladder truck were GONE. One of the dispatchers had us come in and spend time with him until our mother could arrive to take us home.
He was not afraid of controversy. At different times in his job as one of the chiefs, Dad was accused of both racism and sexism.
Hiring the first Black
During the time of “Affirmative Action” and “School Bussing”, when the city asked why dad didn’t have any blacks on the force, he replied that they hired from those who passed the fireman’s test. He was ordered to re-write the test. ….and then to re-write the test a second time, and a third time. He then refused to continue to modify the test, which he insisted was about finding out what someone knew about fire and he didn’t want to send people into burning buildings who didn’t understand what they were up against.
When he hired an African-American, he told me about his first conversation with a guy who eventually became a strong friend.
“I want you to know that you’re a rookie on this shift. You’re not a black rookie, you’re a rookie. You’re going to scrub the tires on the trucks, not because you’re black, but because you’re a rookie. You’re going to get to wash the trucks because you’re a rookie. There are a lot of grunt jobs around here that you are going to have to do because you are a rookie. They are the same jobs I had to do when I was a rookie and which every other man on this force had to do as a rookie. I will treat you the same way I treat everyone else on this force, and will expect respect in return. Oh, and another thing. You need to trim your hair, not because you’re black, but because if you go into a burning building with that Afro sticking out the bottom of a helmet, you’re gonna burn. So just to make sure that we understand each other, if you don’t show me your ‘black power’ (common phrase at that time), I won’t show you my white (i.e. I’m the fire chief) power.”
Their friendship lasted decades.
Hiring the first Woman
He was also in charge when they wanted to start hiring women. He fought it but eventually lost. His reasoning:
“Other than the fact that you’re requiring me to build another restroom, shower/locker area, and sleeping quarters in this building without giving me any additional space in which to do it, I have no problem with any female firefighter who can get all the hair under the helmet, can hold a hose with high-pressure water coming out and can climb out of an upper story window with a 250-pound person of dead weight on her shoulder as she climbs down the ladder.”
I’d appreciate honest, respectful feedback…..