Staff Reports
Seattle firefighters were shocked to discover that the exam to become a lieutenant includes questions on social justice texts. The widely discredited “How To Be an Anti-Racist” by Ibram X. Kendi is amongst them, with over 800 pages of reading on subjects apparently unrelated to firefighting. According to The Washington Free Beacon, the test was previously a straightforward exam that tested applicants’ expertise in building construction and medical techniques, ensuring they had the capacity to make life and death decisions.
However, Seattle County recommended moving away from tests that “rely heavily on knowledge of firefighting.” The report implies that the old methods of testing would tend to favor white men, with tests focusing on applicants’ character and values seemingly more beneficial for hiring women and people of color. Critics see these tests as “woke” methods of weeding out those less compatible with leftist politics.
Some Seattle firefighters feel that these tests are detrimental to staffing levels. The local fire department experienced a 49% increase in overtime payment, amounting to $37.7 million, due to staff shortages in 2021, according to The Seattle Times. Reports show there may be other factors at play, which are making it harder for macho guys to get hired, including vaccine mandates and anti-discrimination campaigns.
In addition, having to take ideological exams has elicited strong reactions from the firefighting community. This testing procedure not only wastes precious firefighting resources, but it also highlights the political biases of those behind such policy. Firefighting is a profession that puts lives on the line routinely, and it is equipping the firefighters with the best tools and knowledge of firefighting, not ideological indoctrination propaganda.
The Seattle Fire Department must prioritize its resources and use them to attract qualified and dedicated firefighters who bring diverse knowledge, experience, and expertise to the table. The politicization of professional firefighting is unacceptable, and it’s time for it to stop. This testing procedure is yet another egregious example of leftist politics seeping into all aspects of American life.
NEW: Seattle’s promotional exams for firefighters now test candidates on Ibram Kendi, Robin DiAngelo, and “Memoirs of a Transgender Firefighter,” among other woke texts.
The Lieutenant exam tests ~800 pages of material unrelated to firefighting tactics.🧵https://t.co/Ugp4gtZLR7
— Aaron Sibarium (@aaronsibarium) May 25, 2023
Source: The Daily Caller
