Black firefighters and paramedics hold panel discussion for next generation in Chicago

By Suzanne Le Mignot

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — Black veterans of the Chicago Fire Department gathered Thursday to give their insight to the next generation of firefighters and paramedics.

Inside Wishnick Hall at the Illinois Institute of Technology, students heard firsthand what it takes to become a firefighter or paramedic in the CFD. Ceaira Herbert, who is now studying clinical counseling at IIT, was among the students who attended the event.

“I would be more interested to see what departments that the Fire Department would have for me to, you know, come in and kind of use my expertise on,” said Herbert.

The Chicago Fire Department, in partnership with the IIT Black Student Union, put on the panel discussion called “Rising Through the Heat: Black Voices in Firefighting and Paramedics,” during Black History month.

“You don’t need a college degree for this — high school diploma — and you could put some money in your pocket and help your people,” said Chicago Fire Capt. Malick Bilal, “and I think it’s an excellent opportunity for all.”

Panelist Dekalb Walcott Jr. is a retired Chicago Fire Department battalion chief, and the author of two books on the history of Black firefighters in the department’s Engine 21 firehouse from 1872 to 1972.

“We’ve never had a substantial number of Blacks hired in any of the classes, with the exception of lawsuits — and a class of 50 blacks that came on in 1943,” said Walcott.

In 1872, there were seven Black firefighters in the department. Today, there are nearly 700 — but in a department of about 4,800.

“It was better until people started retiring,” said Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt, “but we got a lot of work to do to increase our ranks. We do.”

Nance-Holt said outreach efforts such as the panel discussion at IIT are the key to increasing the number of Black Chicagoans who become firefighters and paramedics.

“A lot of our children or young people never consider the fire service as a career, and it’s an awesome profession. It really is,” said Nance-Holt. “It gives you the opportunity to help people, to be in your community, to learn a skillset that’s valuable to not just the community, but your families as well.”

IIT Black Student Union President Tukesha Hill also said events such as panel discussion have great value.

“Putting the people who are in those fields in front of their faces, and within their reach, is a lot more progressive than just talking about it,” she said.

Hill said the event created access for young people who want a career in the Chicago Fire Department

More information about the firefighting profession is available through the Fire Department website, or by emailing CFDRecruitment@cityofchicago.org.

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