Washington Firefighters, EMTs Protest DEI Training at Risk of Losing Certifications

A diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program for Washington emergency responders has been suspended following backlash from employees, at the risk of endangering their professional certifications.

Around 3,500 King County, Washington, firefighters and medics were to be trained in a program that drew from the “teachings” of notorious woke ideologues, including Ibram X. Kendi and Victor Madrigal-Borloz, radio host Jason Rantz revealed Tuesday. 

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“This initiative was a response to a state directive requiring implicit bias and healthcare disparity training for healthcare workers,” the conservative commentator found after speaking with an anonymous employee.

“Critics, including several King County firefighters, challenged the training’s political undertones and its potential infringement on personal beliefs, particularly regarding gender identity,” Rantz continued. “The training’s failure could jeopardize participants’ EMT certifications, demanding acknowledgment of endless genders and an inherent racial bias among White staff.”

The DEI training reportedly specifically instructed white firefighters and paramedics to check for their own racism. 

“The training, titled ‘Stronger Together: An introduction to anti-racism and gender inclusion,’ aimed to instill empathy, awareness, and dignity in patient care, yet its execution ignited pushback,” said Rantz. “It suggested White staff members inherently harbored ‘racist or sexist views’ and had caused ‘racial harm at some point.’ They were even told that they ‘cannot be not racist.'”

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The program, which included videos promoting Critical Race Theory (CRT), tests, and quizzes, caused an uproar amongst trainees.

“Following feedback from numerous members expressing concerns about the test, and after consultations with several fire chiefs who echoed these concerns from their respective teams, we collectively decided to suspend this training through the SKCFTC (South King County Fire Training Consortium),” Renton Fire Chief Steve Heitman wrote in an email.

The chief said that while he “wholeheartedly” supports DEI training, he felt concerned that people would have to “compromise” their personal beliefs to pass.

“What troubles me are certain test questions that might compel members to compromise their personal beliefs or values in order to pass a requisite for EMT recertification,” Heitman said. “This potential conflict may place members in the difficult positions of choosing between their deeply held convictions and their professional roles as firefighters/EMTs.”

The King County firefighter who spoke with Rantz also claimed that the proposed DEI training was just one recent example of county employees being subjected to woke ideology.

“King County has been doing this ‘anti-racist’ crap long before Ibram X Kendi came around,” the firefighter said.

“We’ve never had issues or problems providing care to people of different backgrounds in emergency scenarios. If you call 911 everyone gets the same care based on the given reason they called,” he added.