Despite a rich history of black firefighting heroes that goes back to the beginnings of a professionalized service in the early 19th century, firefighting in this country is stained by a tradition of exclusion. Post-segregation, discrimination was reinforced through deep-rooted nepotism and cronyism. For those whose great-grandfather, grandfather and father weren’t firefighters — and especially for applicants with the wrong color, gender or sexuality — training and testing became an impermeable barrier. Notoriously, white male recruits received special mentoring and reduced scrutiny by those in charge of hiring.

So-called bad apples can’t be blamed for all the racial problems in fire departments today. The problems are system-deep. To begin to solve them, local fire department leaders must step up their efforts to support and enforce inclusivity. We should prioritize hiring fire chiefs who are fully committed to dismantling nepotism and tackling those professional traditions that degrade opportunity . We need an impartial, standardized and professional process for testing at entry level and on promotional exams to inoculate against the effects of bias and favoritism. Fire departments must enforce workplace rules already in place.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fewer than 8 percent of our nation’s firefighters are African-Americans, and an even smaller percentage hold leadership positions. In that way, our nation’s fire service is like many other industries that are still battling hate and bias, both subtle and in-your-face.

What makes firefighting unusual is that as we’re rolling out of the firehouse with sirens on — whether responding to a fire, drug overdose or car crash — we know that what we encounter may be the worst moment in someone’s life. Our hearts are pounding, and we’re aware that any call could be a one-way trip for us. Smoke inhalation, building collapse and backdraft are known risks and we accept them.