Code Red: Fighting Fires, Racism, and Policies in Emergency Safety Services

Scholarship on institutional and structural racism in frontline work is essential for improved service delivery outcomes. This study expands this realm of scholarship and practice by examining the job experiences of Black firefighters in predominantly White fire departments. Semi-structured interviews with 21 Black firefighters on citizen interactions, representation in their organization and leadership, racist experiences, and unique challenges they faced. The findings demonstrated that (1) Black firefighters experienced double standards compared to White firefighters, (2) Black firefighters’ qualifications were consistently questioned, and (3) they dealt with significant stereotyping and prejudice in the workplace. Taken together, these results suggest that institutional and structural racism in frontline work is produced through Black firefighters’ interactions with colleagues and supervisors, through the unequal application of punitive policies or through experiencing expressions of racial stereotypes. These results have practical implications for how to recruit and retain racially minoritized employees in frontline work.