DEI training suspended after telling firefighters that White staff have caused 'racial harm': report

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A diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program targeted at firefighters and medics in King County, Washington, was suspended after backlash from employees, according to a report Tuesday. 

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

The report detailed instructions in the DEI training for white firefighters and medics to check their racist tendencies. 

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A diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program targeted at firefighters and medics in King County, Washington, was suspended after pushback from employees, according to a report from Tuesday. (iStock)

"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. 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,"'" Rantz reported.

A video of the training, provided by "The Jason Rantz Show," described the practice of "anti-racism" as popularized by critical race theory (CRT) advocate Ibram X. Kendi. 

"Anti-racism describes ideas and policies that produce and sustain racism racial equity among racial groups," a speaker, identified as Kendi but voiced by Se'von, tells trainees. "Anti-racism is a powerful collection of policies that leads to racial equity, and is substantiated by anti-racist ideas." 

The speaker told listeners that a critical anti-racist practice was "holding yourself and your community accountable when you notice racism." 

"It is important for White people to understand the distinction between being publicly shamed for a racist act vs. feeling internalized shame while being held accountable for racism," one slide tells staff, according to Rantz. 

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The training, which included tests and quizzes, caused an uproar among employees. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The training, which included tests and quizzes, caused an uproar among employees. 

"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 shared with "The Jason Rantz Show." 

Heitman said that while he "wholeheartedly" supports DEI training, he was still concerned that some staff members would feel forced to say something that does not accord with their own views.

"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."

A few days later, Heitman and other chiefs sent an email describing a meeting that they had about the DEI training, per the report. 

Heitman said that "there was unanimous support from the Chiefs for training aimed at diversity and inclusion and its importance to what we do," adding that it was not meant to be "divisive" but "may need some retooling to be more inclusive."

A King County firefighter who spoke with "The Jason Rantz Show" said the training was just one recent example of the county inflicting politicized training on local employees. 

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

The Renton Regional Fire Authority did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

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