LACK OF COUNTY FIRE-RESCUE DIVERSITY

Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May believes there is a lack of   diversity in the Escambia County Fire Rescue Department. County Administrator Jack Brown says Escambia County has 175 uniformed firefighters – 143 are white, 11 are black, 14 are identified as other. Those numbers put the percentage of black firefighters in Escambia County at 6.3 percent. Nationally, black firefighters make up between 8.4 and 9.2 percent of firefighting forces. Only three firefighters in Escambia County are women, a rate of 1.7 percent. Nationally, the number is 4 or 5 percent. May said addressing diversity may be an uncomfortable conversation, but it is one the county needs to have.