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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 11/10/2011 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011 7:00 P.M., 125 EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER Office of Housing and Human Services COMMISSION MEMBERS: Pam Spera (Chair), Peter Huck(Vice Chair), Linda Crawford, Gayle Sanders, Robert Rozanski, PG Narayanan, and Zina Nourkadi STAFF: Molly Koivumaki, Manager- Housing and Community Services; Heidi Wojahn, Recorder STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES: Ramla Mahamud, Camrie Vlasak GUESTS: Chief George Esbensen and Kimberly Cox—Fire Department; Christine Ruzek—Human Resources I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Spera called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Commissioners Huck, Narayanan, and Rozanski and Student Representative Ramla Mahamud were absent. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Spera moved, seconded by Nourkadi, to approve the agenda. Motion carried 4-0. III. MINUTES Spera requested wording be added under VI.B. where she recapped an episode of "Harry's Law" to reflect society was to be blamed in addition to the defendant. MOTION: Sanders moved, seconded by Crawford, to approve the October 13, 2011 minutes as amended. Motion carried 4-0. IV. NEW BUSINESS Koivumaki reported Commissioner Rozanski worked with Cox and Ruzek to come up with ideas for recruiting and retaining diversity within the Eden Prairie Fire Department. Chief Esbensen explained the fire department has sought for years to increase diversity in the department and has focused mainly on increasing the female workforce. It is a more target-rich environment since women make up half the population. Eden Prairie has always been a leader in this area in the Twin Cities. They had one of the first female volunteer firefighters back in the early 1980s and forced manufacturers to make gloves to fit women's smaller hands. Cox created the Northstar Women's Firefighter Association organization for which the City provided resources, and Eden Prairie (along with other HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES November 10, 2011 Page 2 fire departments) sponsors an annual women's fire expo consisting of a daylong trial of fire service for both female firefighters and non-firefighters. The United States Fire Association (USFA) did a national study a few years ago that took societal pressures and physical stature of women under consideration and concluded if a fire department can get an 18-percent female workforce, it has met the plateau of reasonable expectations. The national average is around 3 percent; Eden Prairie's force is currently at 10 percent. In recruiting processes, men's names are removed from the addresses so packets target only female residents. Female firefighters staff open houses as much as possible. Eden Prairie is the country's only volunteer fire department to get involved with Fire 20/20, the USFA's nationwide initiative to have fire departments be 20 percent diverse by the year 2020. However, this is not just about making the force more diverse. Intrinsically the belief is it will make the department stronger. Cox presented plans to increase diversity within the Eden Prairie Fire Department. The force is currently made up of 90 percent men and 10 percent women. Seven percent are bilingual and 99 percent are Caucasian. The average age is 39. The minimum age is 18; there is no maximum age. One of the goals is to increase diversity by 3 percent each recruiting season starting in 2012 with gender, ethnicity, spoken language, and age group meeting the criteria of diversity. The benefits of diversifying are to enhance the safety of the responders, enhance the delivery of service to a diverse community, and increase/ improve the effectiveness and quality of the department. Success will be measured by the ability to increase diversity by 3 percent each year and if the demographics of the department resemble the demographics of the community; however, Esbensen stated they don't expect to reach a 50 percent female force. They need to be realistic about what makes sense for Eden Prairie. Another goal is to break the image of the typical firefighter: a 6-foot, 200-pound, macho, white male. A more realistic vision is responding to emergency medical service calls and educating school students. A lot of effort goes into teaching fire safety to school-age kids. Department representatives visit all the kindergarten and second grade students in the district annually and put on a summer safety camp for 3rd graders. Ruzek stated they are looking to focus on mentoring, recruitment processes, and a diversity program in 2012 to help accomplish their goals. In part, this includes updating their interviewing processes, choosing diverse enthusiastic individuals to represent the department, providing a mentorship program, and possibly having HRDC address the department at trainings. Cox said they want to have a presence at more events to get people to know who they are in a non-emergency setting and engage the next generation. Ruzek said part of reaching out to high schoolers is to get parents on board by addressing safety concerns. Students look to their parents for advice, and it can be very scary for parents to be ok with the idea of having their children in the firefighting business. Education is key. Although promotion and advertising will change, the department values and standards for hiring will not. Candidates still need to: have a GED or equivalent,be in reasonable physical shape (pass agility tests including strength and endurance), live within 7 minutes of the nearest fire station,have a clean driving record, not have an extensive criminal background,pass a rigorous aptitude test, undergo a psychological evaluation, and obtain State level certification. Koivumaki asked if candidates are evaluated for cultural HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES November 10, 2011 Page 3 sensitivity; Ruzek said no. Given the physical nature of firefighter work, Crawford suggested the department sponsor a track team and/or a summer boot camp for kids to help firefighters develop better relationships with the younger generation. It should be free to encourage participation. Nourkadi added many high school students are required to fulfill volunteer hours, so it would be good to get them involved as well. Esbensen explained recruitment is a long process. During the last recruitment process, they went from 52 candidates down to 8. It is not for everyone. It costs about$7,000 to train each new recruit. They cannot afford turnover given the high expense. The process is designed to weed out those who decide to join on a whim. They are not trying to recruit teenagers now, but rather hope to see them down the road when they are established in the community. Homeowners are the best candidates because they have put down roots and are financially settled. Although there are renters on the force, generally the best recruits are homeowners as opposed to those who are more transient in their lifestyle. Crawford pointed out many diverse members of the community typically aren't homeowners. In order to increase diversity, one has to realistically look at where that population lives. Just because they are renters doesn't mean they won't stay here. Making a financial investment means something to them and would encourage them to stay. Esbensen said they rely heavily on the psych evaluation in terms of who they invest in. It gets to the heart of lifestyle and commitment level. Those with stable jobs and relationships make better candidates. He cautioned they must be mindful of turnover when talking about not changing their standards. They used to have a 46 percent turnover rate of new recruits before their current processes were in place. There are 95 paid on-call (volunteer) and 9 full-time firefighters. Volunteers receive $7-9 per call and pensions. People don't join for the money, they do it to serve because they want to help people in their worst moment. They are held to extremely high standards. Cox said branding and badge ceremonies have become a big deal. The values of the department are duty, honor, and courage. The public needs to understand it is an honor to serve as a firefighter, not a privilege. She will send the presentation to Koivumaki who will forward it to the commissioners. Commissioners can email Cox with ideas and feedback before the plan is presented to the department in January. Spera thanked the guests for attending and sharing their informative presentation. V. REPORTS FROM STAFF - Koivumaki A. HUMAN SERVICES REVIEW COMMITTEE (HSRC) No report. B. BIAS CRIME ACTIVITY STATUS No report. HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION MINUTES November 10, 2011 Page 4 C. OTHER REPORTS FROM STAFF 1. League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions Event The League of Minnesota Human Rights Commissions is hosting an event at Oak Ridge Conference Center in Chaska on December 2 to celebrate its 40-year history. The event is open to all Commissions whether they are League members or not. The cost is $35 - anyone interested in attending should contact Koivumaki for more information. 2. Best Buy Grant Balance is $5.10. VI. OLD BUSINESS - Koivumaki A. DOMESTIC PARTNER REGISTRY City Manager Rick Getschow advised this may go to the City Council in December. He will let the Commission know the date when it is selected. It will likely be an ordinance requiring two readings. The Sun Current requested information which Koivumaki provided. B. RECOGNITION OF STUDENT ESSAY CONTEST WINNER Commissioner Rozanski has taken the lead on this which will be the presentation of a certificate at an upcoming City Council meeting. He is in touch with the school. The City Manager has indicated he would like this to take place at the same meeting the domestic partner registry is addressed. VII. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION MEMBERS None. VIII. FUTURE MEETINGS/EVENTS The next HRDC meeting will be Thursday, December 8, 2011, 7 p.m. at Eden Prairie Center, Room 125. IX. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Crawford moved, seconded by Sanders, to adjourn. Motion carried 4-0. Chair Spera adjourned the meeting at 8:20 p.m.