Dan Roche

ENG 276
Rhetorical Analysis Essay

The key elements of this story consist of the notion that women are

being held at a disadvantage when trying to become firefighters and

paramedics. This story explains how the Chicago Fire Department is being

accused of having biased physical agility tests against women. To bring

attention to the unfair treatment women face while going through the

process to become a firefighter, Spielman explains that in years prior to this

story, dozens of women were denied firefighter jobs because of a

discriminatory test of upper body strength (Chicago Sun Times). More

precisely, this article addresses how the same issue has arisen once again,

but this time for women who are trying to become paramedics. The recent

lawsuit filed against the Chicago Fire Department claims that the CFD is

devising new physical tests that are just as equally biased against women.

One argument that is quickly brought to attention is whether or not

these tests are fair. Immediately, one might think of the image of a firefighter

carrying an individual out of a burning building. Here, an executive or even

current firefighter might argue that the physical abilities test that is

administered by the Chicago Fire Department has a certain set standards or

benchmarks that serve as a means to determine if a candidate for the job is

physically fit enough to perform the daily tasks of the job as well as current

firefighters do. If anyone could be a firefighter, regardless of their physical

ability, would an individual who needs to be rescued from a burning building

and carried down flights of stairs to safety feel confident that anyone in

uniform could save them from such? Though this is only a hypothetical, it

could very well be a thought that contributed to the decision to administer

the PAT. Obviously each real life on-the-job scenario is not going to require

same amount and types of physical ability, but enforcing physical tests with

a baseline measurement of what an average day of work could entail would

support the argument that these tests are indeed fair.

However, from the standpoint of a woman who has or will be taking

this test, they could possibly argue that women have a high rate of failure

because the physical abilities test is designed for men, therefore

discriminating against women because they are often not as physically gifted

as men. It is unclear if women are expected to reach the same benchmarks

as men are, but a woman who has failed the test can argue that being

required to achieve the same benchmark that men do is unfair due to the

significant disparity in physical strength that would immediately put women

at a disadvantage.

Another popular argument that surrounds this issue is whether or not

these tests that are administered by the Chicago Fire Department are related

to on-the-job tasks or duties. In an article that addresses issues with the

physical abilities test taken by candidates for the job, the author explains

that the Chicago Fire Department administers their own test known as PAT,

which differs from the standardized test that was created by the firefighters

union known as the CPAT, which stands for Candidate Physical Abilities Test.
For example, Monica Reida cites statements from a women who was a

candidate to become a firefighter that claim the tests in the PAT, that is

administered by the CFD are not job related. More specifically, the candidate

explains that instead of putting up a ladder, they have a candidate do a

lifting exercise and for paramedics, they have candidates do a gym exercise

instead of pulling a stretcher (Reida). Contrarily, she highlights that even

though the CPAT has more parts, each part directly relates to duties a

firefighter must perform while on the job such as climbing stairs while being

weighed down in a realistic manner, carrying saws that would be needed in

certain situations, raising and extending ladders to name a few.

While each test is discussed in terms of how they are structured and

what exercises are administered, Reida claims that the specific exercises in

the PAT that is administered by the Chicago Fire Department are something

that one would expect to see in a physical education class rather than a test

that decides whether or not a candidate is suitable for the job. It is clear that

the PAT contains exercises that arent related to tasks that a firefighter would

do on the daily job. That being said, it can be argued that the Chicago Fire

Department is discriminating against women because they administer a test

that is significantly different from the test that was created by the union.

Although a CFD executive would strongly disagree with that claim and might

look at the test as a justifiable means to ensuring they hire the most

qualified candidates for the position, having women account for only 2% of

the firefighter workforce (Huffington Post) supports the argument that the
PAT is discriminatory against women. Additionally, women who were unable

to pass the physical tests would argue that the tests were an unfair

measurement to determine whether or not they are fit for the job.

While there will be endless disagreement in whether or not these tests

are both appropriate and fair in determining if an individual is qualified for

the job or not, it is important to consider what it might be like to be someone

who is in a building that is burning and unable to move. It can be argued that

someone in that position might prefer to have a qualified individual who is

physically capable to carry me to safety while putting as little risk as possible

on both of their lives, along with the lives of the other firefighters or others

who may also need to be rescued. Although this situation can spark multiple

different debates, I think most would debate on the fairness of these tests

and if the benchmarks and exercises for women should be adjusted in a

manner that is comparable to those of men, but also fair enough that a

woman has an equal opportunity to be considered for the job.

References
Guzzardi, Will. "Chicago Fire Department Hiring: Women Face Discrimination,
According To Samantha Vasich's Lawsuit." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 July 2011. Web. 01 May 2017.
Reida, Monica, and Shipping Included. "The Problems With the Fire
Department's Physical Abilities Test." Gapers Block. N.p., 22 July 2011. Web.
01 May 2017.
Rutecki, Jared. "Chicago Fire Department Discrimination Payouts Approach
$92 Million Since 2008." Better Government Association. N.p., 28 Feb. 2017.
Web. 01 May 2017.
Spielman, Fran. "Women Accuse Chicago Fire Department of Discrimination -
Again."Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago Sun-Times, 31 Oct. 2016. Web. 22 Mar.
2017.