TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department has seen lawsuits and civil rights complaints accusing the department of racial and gender discrimination.
Some ended in settlements and others with the courts ruling in favor of the department.
Chief Brian Byrd says his number one priority was getting the best quality recruits in TFRD's class.
He says this latest graduating class is the best he's seen while also being more reflective of the city's makeup.
Tiffany Akeman just fought her first fire as a member of TFRD.
"You come in for a structure fire and the adrenaline just goes through the roof. And in the fire engine rushing to the scene you don't know if there's any victims, so getting there you just know you have a job to do," Akeman said.
It's Akeman's fourth shift at her newly assigned station and a smile rarely leaves her face.
She believes being in a diverse fire class has better prepared her for any and everything she could encounter.
"Having so much diversity, it's inspiring. I think we all had different strengths and came from different backgrounds," Akeman said.
Recruiting began as a passion project and is now a full-time job for Battalion Chief Daniel Brown-Martinez, who knows what it's like to feel different than most of his co-workers.
"The first time I started speaking Spanish, I remember everyone turning around and being like, where did that come from? We had a patient that couldn't speak English at all and since I was bilingual I was able to help that patient out on a different level," Brown-Martinez said.
Brown-Martinez says he's proud of the quality of cadets they have recruited.
Chief Byrd says hiring good firefighters is still the most important thing and that no standards were changed in the process.
"I hope this is just the beginning of having our fire department look like the community it serves. That's important on numerous different levels," Chief Byrd said.
Akeman believes her class, with about twice as many women, people of all racial backgrounds and previous jobs as accountants, healthcare workers and even a barber will prove there's strength in having fire crews that reflect the community they serve.
"I knew I was signing up for more than just a job, and it's been everything I could've asked for and more," Akeman said.