The Alexandria Fire Department is responding to reports of racism, sexism and favoritism within the department after first responders participated in a survey.
The city commissioned the study in 2019.
Fire Chief Corey A. Smedley said officials were committed to fairnesss.
“The Alexandria Fire Department is striving for service excellence, and that’s not only doing it for the community but doing it for the workforce. So, we’re going to continue to work toward building a department that is inclusive for everyone to be successful. Everyone,” Smedley said.
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The fire department has about 270 members. Some union leaders recently said morale was low.
Smedley said morale is a work in progress.
“Morale is the responsibility of everyone. Sometimes when there’s change going on in your department, some people don’t like that change,” he said.
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Alexandria’s fire department is one of the lowest paying departments in Northern Virginia.
