7 black Houston firefighters sue, say city exam biased

[Washington]

As Fark.com observed,

"Houston's black firefighters say city's exam for higher ranks is prejudiced against black people because it's a written exam, and studies show black people do worse at written exams than other races. No, really"

"Seven black firefighters are suing the city, contending that the Houston Fire Department’s test for officer promotions adversely affects blacks.

“This is systemic discrimination,” said the firefighters’ attorney, Dennis Thompson. “Selection rates for African-Americans are abysmally smaller than for white candidates.”

City Council on Wednesday delayed consideration of a request by the city attorney’s office to spend up to $197,000 on an outside law firm to defend the city against the federal lawsuit, which was filed in August. The council is expected to take up the request next week.

Firefighters trying to attain the rank of captain and above in the Houston Fire Department must take a 100-question multiple-choice test. Numerous studies show that blacks as a group do less well on high-stakes tests, Thompson said. He said fire departments should use cognitive tests only as a pass-fail benchmark and also should focus on performance exercises and other criteria.

“We don’t do as well on these multiple-choice tests,” said Capt. Otis Jordan, president of the Houston Black Firefighters Association. Jordan and the HBFA are not part of the suit. “I compare fighting a fire, riding an apparatus, to playing football. Your best athlete might not be the straight-A student.”

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[Avatar]

All job positions should be filled by solely by lottery draws. It's the only fair way, really.

 

[keith99]

Numerous studies show that blacks as a group do less well on high-stakes tests, Thompson said. He said fire departments should use cognitive tests only as a pass-fail benchmark and also should focus on performance exercises and other criteria

Hmm so they can't perform on an objective test so do away with any objective criteria. Of course if they still do not perform they are in an even better position to claim discrimination!

 

[BlackAndy]

“We don’t do as well on these multiple-choice tests,” said Capt. Otis Jordan, president of the Houston Black Firefighters Association.

We? Who is we? Racist.

Houston Black Firefighters Association. I am assuming the criteria for joining this Association is to be a firefighter and black. Racist.

Now the city should change it's policies and testing procedures based upon the color of a man's skin? Racist.

 

[billwald]

The union is probably correct. Don't know the current situation in fire departments.

When I joined the Seattle Police Department in 1965 a GED was required and a person with a GED could do 90% of the work. Yes, (even) back then homicide investigation was very specialized . . . and still is. Now day many jurisdictions require 2 years of college to be a rookie cop. A person with a GED is STILL qualified to do 90% of the work.

 

[BlackAndy]

No, this is ridiculous.
A black man can do anything a white man can do... he can even hold the highest office in the land. Just don't ask him to take a multiple choice test?

 

[Nathan45]

“I compare fighting a fire, riding an apparatus, to playing football. Your best athlete might not be the straight-A student.”
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Ugh, we're talking about a firefighter captain here, right? If you're going to be giving the orders to other firefighters you ought to have a good degree of intelligence.

This is stupid anyway, if you can 't pass the test study harder.