Denton Hires First Black Firefighter

[UNTflyer]

DENTON (CBS 11 News) ― Denton 's fire department is hiring its first African American recruit in its 140 year history.

Delante Bell will join the department next month.

The fact that Denton has never had an African American fire recruit may sound surprising, but not to most firefighters.

The City of Denton has worked for years to put more minorities in their fire house. To help with the quest they even hired someone to help. Quinten Brown is African American and has been with the Denton Fire Department for two years.

Brown's firefighting days and training happened in New Orleans. The Denton Fire Department hired him as a recruiter.

Denton , like many fire departments nationwide, has a tradition handed down for generations of white firefighters.

Brown says luring African Americans into the recruiting pool has been a decade's long struggle. "It's probably international as well. We really have to be assertive about going out and attracting these very capable individuals who can do the job."

The Denton Fire Department has made a concerted effort to put African Americans on the fire lines. They not only hired Brown to recruit, but changed hiring procedures to ensure that more people advance from the written exam to the interview process.

"I think every department has a ways to go," says Denton Fire Department Deputy Chief Mark Klingele. "This is not just a Denton Fire Department problem, it's an industry problem. Fire departments across the country face the same issues that we do and we're just one department trying to find our way through this mess."

It's a challenge that Brown is eager to take on. "Really what we'd like, in a perfect world, is for our departments to reflect our society."

With Denton testing a new round of recruits in April, city officials say they're hoping to build on their successes.

[Green Mean]

First one ever?!?!?!?! Thats amazing considering Denton is no small place and in general has a great deal of diversity.

[Cr1028]

The Denton Fire Department has made a concerted effort to put African Americans on the fire lines. They not only hired Brown to recruit, but changed hiring procedures to ensure that more people advance from the written exam to the interview process.

I hope they mean more people overall and not affirmative action where you take less qualified people based on race. I will never agree with that stuff. You hire the most qualified and the best person for the job no matter what they look like.

[THOR]

why does it have to be pointed out that the first black firefighter has been hired....how about just a new firefighter is hired???? it seems all the "first black too....or the first woman too....or the first kid from a trailer park too..." kinda separates the accomplishment to something that is only special because of the color/sex/socioeconomic position that person is in....

of course...i am a white male, so nothing special is ever said about the first white man too... hahahaha

[Travis]

I know the fire department has wanted some diversity within their ranks for some time now...

The trouble was passing the really tough exam to meet the requirement. I am glad their standards are tough... makes for a better fire fighter.

[KRAM1]

Folks, when you need a firefighter or a policeman, my guess is, you don't a "rat's rear end" what color or sex the person might be! God bless all our firefighters and policemen who serve and defend us every single day. That goes for our service men and women too....God bless them one and all!