Excerpts from Fox32Chicago.com:
A recent report by the city’s inspector general has revealed a troubling oversight in the Chicago Fire Department’s (CFD) hiring process. At least 20 out of the 111 African-American firefighters hired following a major discrimination lawsuit were not medically cleared by a CFD physician before starting their duties, according to the findings. Two of these individuals suffered serious medical issues and died while off-duty, raising concerns about the safety and protocol of the hiring process.
The legal battle that led to this hiring initiative began under former Mayor Richard M. Daley and was resolved during Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration. The city agreed to hire 111 African-American firefighters who had been bypassed due to discriminatory practices in the 1995 firefighter entrance exam. To compensate nearly 6,000 affected individuals, the city borrowed $78.4 million.
Earlier this year, Mayor Emanuel highlighted the resolution as a success, stating that the department had fulfilled the dreams of those firefighters. However, the inspector general’s report now adds a new and alarming chapter to the story.
In his quarterly report, Inspector General Joe Ferguson detailed an investigation that found at least 20 members of the so-called "Lewis class" of firefighters were not properly medically cleared before starting work. This violated both national standards and internal CFD protocols. One of the two firefighters who later died had already raised red flags, but the system failed to catch it in time.
Ferguson urged the fire department to take immediate action to ensure the remaining 18 firefighters who hadn’t been cleared were fit for duty. He also called for the development of a formal medical clearance policy to prevent future lapses.
The CFD defended its actions, claiming all 111 firefighters had undergone medical evaluations by an outside vendor, including physical exams and blood tests. Their own doctors then reviewed the files. However, they admitted that delays in reviewing the documents led to some candidates being cleared administratively rather than by medical professionals.
Administrative staff reviewed 53 files, clearing 19 and rejecting 34 due to incomplete documentation. A twentieth candidate may have also been cleared through this process. According to the report, a current and former medical director confirmed that administrative personnel lacked the medical expertise to assess whether candidates met the necessary health requirements.
National guidelines require that any external medical evaluation must be reviewed and approved by a CFD physician. After the first death, the department brought in an outside doctor to re-evaluate the 19 administratively cleared firefighters. That doctor flagged six candidates with potential health risks, which the CFD acknowledged.
Two of the 19 died shortly after, and three others later experienced medical issues unrelated to the original concerns. Despite this, the CFD cleared them after wellness exams that didn’t include full diagnostic testing. The fourth firefighter was never evaluated by department physicians.
The department claimed they wanted to conduct further exams but were advised by legal counsel that doing so might violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, the inspector general criticized this reasoning, emphasizing the importance of proper medical screening.
Going forward, the CFD has stated that it has implemented new procedures aligned with National Fire Protection Association standards. The Medical Division Handbook from June 2015 now requires that a CFD physician make the final medical clearance decision for all applicants.
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