Beacon Vol 3

THINK PIECE
The Weight
of Words
The language we
use can signify
whether someone
belongs … or not
24 BEACON
This past April, Derek Minard was named chief of Savannah Fire Rescue. The
announcement came just two months after a study by the University of Georgia
shed light on the department’s “workplace climate challenges, including
low morale; dissatisfaction with pay; perceptions of inequity in regard to promotions,
discipline, and transfers; poor communication; and distrust of senior
management.” As eyes turn to Chief Minard to see how he leads the department
through these first challenging months, our ears listen for the tenor of his words,
specifically whether he seeks to create a more inclusive department.
The new chief did not respond to requests
for comment, but according to Savannah’s
Fox28 WTGS, Minard was quoted as saying,
“I am a person that is inclusive, so I look to
the youngest firefighter all the way up to every
level of the organization to be involved.”
He may have his work cut out for him.
Of the 330 employees of Savannah Fire
Rescue, only 5 percent are female (and onethird
of those women fill administrative/
clerical roles), and fewer than 23 percent are
African American, Hispanic, or multi-racial.
To lay out the welcome mat for greater diversity
within the department’s ranks, he
should start with renaming classifications.
Between the “captain” and the “advanced
firefighter” categories is the “master” firefighter—a
designation that has been used
off and on in Savannah since 1797, when
the city council elected 10 fire masters to
better organize fire scenes and services.
During this time, fire services were provided
by volunteer citizens and enslaved Africans.
When the first officially organized fire
department was formed here in 1825, one
or more of its members were given the title
of “Masters of Engines.” These members
were authorized to administer “prompt and
immediate correction” whenever a slave
“disobeyed or otherwise offended.” By 1828,
Savannah Fire Rescue’s volunteer force consisted
of 178 enslaved men, 96 free men of
color, and 17 white men.
As more white volunteer companies
formed, conflicts with African-American
firefighters over apparatus and monetary
rewards increased, and many black firefighters
were driven away. By 1871 Savannah
Fire Rescue was staffed entirely by
white volunteers. The department would
not reintegrate until 1963, when the local
NAACP chapter negotiated with city officials
to hire six African-American college
students: Purdy Bowers, Lewis Oliver,
Theodore Rivers, Porter Screen, Cordell
Heath, and Warnell Robinson.
The last time the term “master firefighter”
was discussed was in 1976, when the
rank was brought back into use after the
city conducted a Classification and Compensation
Study. Other than departmental
restructuring, no reason is given for the
term’s reappearance, and it has been in
use ever since. Knowing the history of the
word “master,” freighted with the weight
of history and enslavement, it’s hard to
imagine black firefighters not taking issue
with its continued use, especially when
considering Atlanta, Macon, Hilton Head,
and most other surrounding cities have
replaced “master” with “lieutenant” — or
never used “master” in the first place.
The continued usage of this language
illustrates how the vestiges of the past
can remain embedded in our present. .
— Ariel Felton