One of the most indelibly violent images of the 20th century was captured in 1963 during a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Ala. On May 3, 1,000 children were peacefully protesting when Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor turned high-pressure fire hoses and police dogs on them. As the scenes were televised and published for horrified Americans to see, they became instrumental in advancing the cause of civil rights around the world.

Since that time, the face of the American work force has undergone tremendous change. Women have taken on jobs that were previously thought to be for men only, and people of color have broken down barriers to become respected leaders in every profession.

The fire service, however, presented its own set of challenges, in part because of the nature of the work, but also because of misguided notions of tradition. Efforts to recruit women and people of color have been marred by resistance from firefighters who view the fire service as a “brotherhood” and a tendency by some to regard the fire service as a “family business,” suitable only for those who have family members already on the job. These perceptions have served to discourage many people from considering the fire service as a career.

For many who have chosen to pursue such a career, getting in has been tough, and staying in has been even tougher. Some departments still engage in various forms of hazing, an activity that can easily get out of hand under the best of circumstances, but most certainly when the newcomers are regarded as outsiders who don't belong.

In 2006, several departments received unwelcome attention following incidents involving racism. On the eve of jury selection in a reverse-discrimination claim against the city of Jacksonville, Fla., by white firefighters who said they were denied promotion by a black fire chief, nooses were found on two firefighters' gear. Later, in Norwalk, Conn., a video recording surfaced that included a member of the fire department using two racial slurs — one for blacks, the other for Hispanics.

The good news in each of these cases is that these incidents attracted attention precisely because they are isolated. More importantly, city and department leaders have denounced the actions and moved toward discipline and additional training.

The International Association of Fire Fighters took a leadership stance on the issue by commissioning a diversity initiative report from an independent research firm. In doing so, the organization has signaled to its members that diversity is a core principle of the fire service. And the signal is being picked up. The IAFF study Achieving and Retaining a Diverse Fire Service Workforce outlines best practices at fire departments across the country.

The International Association of Fire Chiefs' Metro Section recently passed a motion to support the Fire 20/20 Multicultural Health and Safety Research Project, a one-year descriptive and evaluative study examining how the fire service culture positively and negatively affects the health and safety of both firefighters and community members when working in multicultural communities. Fire 20/20 is a nonprofit organization committed to recruiting and retaining a safe, qualified, inclusive and competent fire/EMS work force by the year 2020. The research team includes an esteemed group of researchers and project staff who have years of combined experience in the areas of fire/EMS, safety, research, diversity, public education, training, change management and community organizing.

Few professions serve a more diverse population than the fire service. It's to our benefit and theirs that we create a team of responders that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. By stretching the fire service to become more inclusive, we are better able to reach members of the community with safety messages and work together to develop new solutions to safety challenges.

True inclusion engenders trust. A work environment where each individual is valued becomes a place where individuals are challenged and motivated to do their best work every day — and that makes the community safer for all of us.