District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department
In June 2015, Jullette M. Saussy was named the medical director of DC Fire and EMS. On January 29, 2016, she announced her resignation from that position in a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser. In her letter, she called the department's culture "highly toxic to the delivery of any semblance of quality pre-hospital medical care."
Vulcan Blazers
In 2013 the BCFD promoted Captain Charline B. Stokes to Battalion Chief for Community Outreach. Stokes is the first African American female to attain the rank of Battalion Chief in the 154-year history of the Baltimore City Fire Department. Fire Chief Niles R. Ford, an African-American, is the current head of the BCFD. More strides in advancing diversity in 2015 came with the elevation of Twana Allen, the first black female promoted to the post of Fire Lieutenant at Baltimore County Fire Department. Recently, the department posted guidelines for a new physical test. For that, The IAFF(International Association of Fire Fighters) and IAFC(International Association of Fire Chiefs) got together with 10 leading fire departments and unions through the FEMA program "Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness/Fitness Initiative". Together, they came up with a new test called the "IAFF/IAFC Candidate Physical Ability Test" (CPAT).