Excerpts from Fox32Chicago.com:
At least 20 of the 111 African-American firefighters hired by the Chicago Fire Department following a long-standing discrimination lawsuit were not medically cleared by a department physician before starting their duties, according to a recent report from the city’s inspector general. Two of these individuals suffered severe medical issues and died while off-duty, raising serious concerns about the hiring process.
The legal battle, which originated from a discriminatory handling of the 1995 firefighter entrance exam, was resolved under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who inherited the case from his predecessor, Richard M. Daley. As part of the settlement, the city agreed to hire 111 African-American candidates who had been bypassed in the original test and paid out around $78.4 million to compensate nearly 6,000 others who never got the chance to become firefighters.
Earlier this year, Emanuel highlighted the resolution as a success, saying, “We settled that. Paid out somewhere between $60 million and $75 million to the individuals. Then we produced the class for [111] individuals to fulfill their dreams of becoming Chicago firefighters.â€
But on Tuesday, Inspector General Joe Ferguson revealed new findings that cast doubt on the integrity of the hiring process. His quarterly report detailed an investigation showing that at least 20 members of the so-called "Lewis Class" had not received proper medical clearance from CFD physicians, violating both national standards and internal protocols.
Ferguson emphasized the risks involved, stating, “Two of the 20 improperly-cleared members suffered serious medical events while off-duty and died not long after they began their full duties. This highlights the critical need for medical clearance for all new firefighters.†He urged the fire department to take immediate action to assess the remaining 18 and establish a formal, standardized medical clearance policy moving forward.
The Chicago Fire Department defended its actions, claiming that all 111 firefighters had been evaluated by an outside vendor, including physical exams and blood tests. Their own doctors then reviewed the results and either approved the candidates or requested additional steps, such as follow-up exams or retesting.
However, the department admitted that its medical staff fell behind in reviewing these files. In response to a court-imposed deadline, administrative personnel conducted a limited review of 53 candidates, clearing 19 and rejecting 34 due to incomplete documentation. A twentieth candidate may have also been administratively cleared.
A current and former medical director told investigators that administrative staff lacked the necessary medical expertise to properly evaluate whether candidates met the required health standards. National guidelines clearly state that any external medical evaluation must be reviewed and approved by a CFD physician.
After the first death, the department brought in an outside doctor with experience in fire service requirements to review the remaining cases. Soon after, a second firefighter died. Both had been flagged by the outside doctor as needing further evaluation, which the department acknowledged.
Three of the four surviving candidates who were administratively cleared later experienced unrelated medical issues. The department cleared them after wellness exams that did not include full diagnostic testing. The fourth was never evaluated by CFD physicians.
CFD stated it had considered conducting full medical exams but was advised by legal counsel that doing so might violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, the department now claims it has implemented new procedures aligned with National Fire Protection Association standards, requiring a CFD physician to make the final medical clearance decision.
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