Racism is a problem in firefighting, too. Sacramento can’t keep ignoring it

Racism in policing garners the most attention because it has long-lasting and sometimes fatal consequences for those who encounter it. But systemic racism has become increasingly apparent in fire departments, too.

Four Black firefighters in Oakland were reportedly harassed and ostracized because of their race, and in another case, an Oakland fire captain was awarded a $450,000 settlement in 2015 after suing for discrimination.

Sacramento is now reckoning with the reality of racism in its own ranks after a young Black firefighter resigned and spoke out about his experiences.

Desmond Lewis, 27, tendered his resignation less than one year after joining the Sacramento Fire Department in March 2020. He cited a hostile work environment where he “regularly heard racially charged remarks, was suggested not to ‘congregate with just my own’ and was even questioned about my loyalty to the department because of the color of my skin,” Lewis wrote in his resignation letter.

He allegedly faced bigoted and racist rhetoric, including one disturbing outburst from a supervisor while crew members were eating dinner during the height of Black Lives Matter protests last summer.

“Lewis said a captain shouted to the television, ‘Can’t these people stop protesting and go back to shooting each other?’” The Bee’s Marcus D. Smith reported. “A woman colleague privately confided in Lewis, telling him that in dinner meetings another firefighter referred to his Black or African American patients as the N-word.”

Sacramento’s Equal Employment Opportunity Office is now investigating the allegations. Lewis’ resignation also inspired others to speak out, including retired Sacramento firefighter Shannon Panameno, 50, who told The Bee about a culture of hazing and the mental and physical toll of the bad behavior she endured.

“Panameno said she was a victim of hazing in a summer 2001 training exercise that involved her being strapped to a stokes basket, which is used to transport fire victims, and raised to the rooftop of Station 7,” Smith reported. “She was left sweltering in the sun for 20 minutes.”

It’s no wonder Sacramento’s firehouses lack diversity. Capt. Jaymes Butler, the agency’s only Black captain, said there were about 50 Black firefighters when he joined the department 26 years ago. Now, about 20 of the department’s 657 employees are Black, according to a November 2020 audit of the city’s workforce. By contrast, the agency is 90% male and 71% white.

Apparently, it’s not a priority for Sacramento’s fire department to have a diverse and inclusive staff that reflects the community it serves. Instead, it has embraced a culture where firehouses act as fraternity houses and childish hazing rituals are used to demean new recruits.

Meanwhile, good-faith efforts to diversify Sacramento’s crews and foster a more inclusive environment have been reduced to symbolic projects. Butler was co-chair of the department’s Diversity Advisory Board, which launched five years ago, and provided a six-point proposal to help the department improve its racial makeup.

Those recommendations included different outreach for recruitment, reinstating the student paramedic program, partnerships for career development, expanding the fire reserve and adopting best practices from other cities.

Yet the board’s work so far has been underfunded and the policy recommendations were ignored.

“It’s just talk,” Butler said.

First responders are our everyday heroes, but unchecked hate and bigotry creates a burden no firefighter should have to bear. It endangers them and that, in turn, endangers Sacramentans. No one wants a racist police officer or firefighter showing up when they experience an emergency.

The allegations Lewis and others put forward cannot be dismissed by blaming “bad apples.” This problem is systemic. Of the 335,000 firefighters nationwide, fewer than 9% are Black, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Sacramento Fire Department’s Diversity Advisory Board has given the city a playbook for addressing the problem. Instead of ignoring these recommendations, the city must fund them and act on them.

Promoting more people of color to leadership positions can help change the culture. Since Sacramento currently has an opening for deputy fire chief, that seems like a good place to start.