Alicia Blakely is the president of the Savannah chapter of the National Action Network, which is (according to them) "one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation, with chapters throughout the U.S. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, national origin, and gender."

Ms. Blakely hunts down injustice like it was a Blues Brothers' mission from God:

“God laid me down to set me back up. Anywhere there is injustice, anytime someone is wrongly treated, that’s where I come in.”

Right now, Ms. Blakely is ferreting out perceived injustice in the Savannah Fire Department's hiring practices. She and her compatriots charge the SFD with actively seeking a less diverse department:

“I’m seeing a trend toward less inclusion. There seems to be a lack of oversight in diversity issues. We made improvements over the years, and we seem to be reversing those improvements.”

Ms. Blakely wants to fight an injustice she sees with SFD hiring practices, with perhaps more injurious injustice:

“We want the resignation of Chief Middleton. We want someone that is going to do the right thing, who is not going to look at blacks and females as incompetent.”

Besides that being one of more dumbfounding statements related to the city's hiring practices, considering who the mayor (black woman), city manager (black woman), and well, even the fire chief (black man) are, Ms. Blakely's seems to equate the color of an applicant's skin or their sex to be the determinant of their worthiness to serve the SFD--but not their test scores, physical capabilities, or past adherence to the law. The SFD helpfully makes this clear distinction:

"Of 123 black recruits who took the test in 2010, only 19 passed, city officials say. Of those 19, only four passed the physical test. Of those, only three were selected for the interview process. Two failed the background check."

Granted, 2.4% selection rate for an interview isn't a good percentage. In fact, its awful. The 21% success rate on the physical test of those who passed the written test is better, but then, if I'm reading the quote correctly, 66.6% of those who passed the written and physical test, failed the background check, for a grand total of 1.6% of all black applicants moving on in the interview process. I'm also assuming that the white selection rate was much higher although the article doesn't say that. The written test isn't easy and its not supposed to be. Applicants need to study to be successful at it. Here's a sample set of questions about hoselines (I could barely comprehend it, but then again, I never wanted to be firefighter):

Hoselines

At the scene of a fire, crews attempting to perform a rescue should have every kind of protection available. The primary type of protective equipment is a hoseline with an adequate supply of water. The advantages of a fire stream are its effect in the control of fire in the rescue area and its cooling effect. The force of a water spray will also help ventilate the structure. This will help to provide cool fresh air, which will assist the victims as well as the rescue crew.

Another advantage of taking in a hoseline is that the hose automatically marks an escape route. If the conditions in the structure worsen, smoke may decrease most visibility. When this occurs, the hoseline will lead the rescue team out of the structure. Since searches for victims in the fire structure must be done quickly, the rescue crew may not be able to use hoselines in all cases. However, as the rescue continues, hoselines should be advanced to protect rescue workers and trapped victims. Fire streams may have to be used to knock down the fire and to protect victims.

At times it may be necessary to delay rescue in an area until a charged hoseline is ready to advance. The rescue crew must then enter the structure behind the protection of the fire stream. As the fire is controlled, the rescue crew can search each room.

To speed up the search of the more distant rooms, the rescue crew can leave the protection of the charged hoseline. Before this occurs, the rescue crew must tell the firefighter on the charged line of their actions.

Firefighters on the fire floor must keep in mind the presence of other rescue crews on the floors above the fire. If it appears that the fire streams will be unable to hold the fire, instant warning must be given to the crews above the fire. Steps should be taken to provide escape by ladder. An effort should also be made to place fire streams between the fire and the exposed rescue crews.

Caution must be exercised when stretching hoselines to keep them from blocking any rescue attempts. The one exception to this would be where the fire stream is required to protect the occupants' escape. When many persons have to get out of a building, rescue plans must be considered in the placement of equipment. This includes the stretching of hoselines.

While hoselines are designed as an extinguishment device, it is clear they are very effective in the rescue process. Firefighters must use the hoselines to assist them in all rescue operations for their safety and the safety of the trapped victims.

4.Firefighters must exercise extreme caution when stretching hoselines to keep them from blocking any rescue attempts. The one exception to this would be:

A)when a fire stream is used to cover a nearby exposure
B)the fire floor is fully engulfed in flames
C)when a fire stream is required to protect occupants' escape
D)when salvage operations have begun

5.You are on Engine 17 and have taken a hoseline into the second story of a three-story building. Engine 22 has proceeded to the third floor and is attacking the fire that is spreading upward. While fighting the fire on the second floor, you realize that extinguishment operations are going to be difficult if not impossible and it appears that the fire is stretching above to the third floor. Which of the following would be the correct procedure?

A)order additional help into the second floor area to alleviate the situation
B)give a warning to the members of Engine 22 above you that the fire has spread into the third floor area
C)withdraw your crew members immediately and escape by ladder
D)limit the amount of rescue and ventilation operations

6.According to the passage:

A)Crews attempting to perform rescue should have every type of protection available. The primary type of protective equipment is an operating air mask.
B)During rescue operations, firefighters for their own safety and that of trapped victims can call on the assistance of hoselines to provide them with direction.
C)An uncharged hoseline with a water spray will help ventilate a structure allowing for additional assistance in rescuing the victims.
D)decrease the amount of hoseline stretched into the area while increasing horizontal ventilation

I think its important to note that this reading passage is how most technical information in any field is presented and how any accrediting test is set up that's supposed to show potential employers that the applicant possesses the requisite skills. Surely Ms. Blakely is interested in Savannah firefighters who know what the hell to do with hoselines--and perhaps your life in a lethal fire situation, right?

At one time, Ms. Blakely had need of a profession that also uses brutal entrance exams to winnow down the field and separate the contenders from the pretenders. As a longshoreman, Ms. Blakely suffered a grievous injury:

"The wood missed her head but not her feet. Each foot was nearly split in two. In her purse Blakely keeps a stash of photos of the mangled mass of flesh, which doctors spent years patching together. “They’re a reminder of what I’ve come through,” she said. She was hospitalized for a month after the accident and has had seven surgeries. There are screws, plates, pins and rods in her feet, and she still bears horrific scars."

To be a prospective doctor, an applicant must pass the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) before being considered for medical school. The MCAT measures an applicant's skill in problem solving, critical thinking, written analysis, and writing skills in addition to knowledge of scientific concepts and principles. Here is an example of a biological science question on the MCAT:

A variety of staining techniques are routinely used in the microbiology laboratory to identify bacteria. Some stains are simple stains while others are differential. Many of the basic dyes used bind to the bacterial cell due to its negatively charged surface. Other dyes may be repelled by the cell, and can be used to produce a negative stain. The choice of technique depends on the type of information needed. The information is routinely used to help identify microorganisms, and it also helps determine appropriate therapeutic treatment.

1. The most widely-used differential stain for bacteria is:

(A) the capsule stain.
(B) the Gram stain.
(C) the endospore stain.
(D) the flagella stain.

2. All of the following are true statements about the brain EXCEPT:

(A) The pons functions to link the cerebellum with the higher conscious centers.
(B) The limbic system alerts the cortex of incoming stimuli.
(C) The limbic system is associated with emotional responses.
(D) The nuclei of cranial nerves 5, 6, 7, and 8 are located in the pons.

Sort of makes you appreciate those folks who study up and know this stuff. Here is a sample question for surgery:

A right hemicolectomy is performed on a 57-year-old woman with adenocarcinoma who had a preoperative elevation of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) to 144. After falling to normal levels postoperatively, her most recent (24-month) follow-up level was 86. Correct statements regarding CEA and colorectal tumors include which of the following?

a) elevated CEA is indicative of a tumor of gastrointestinal origin
b) a low CEA level after resection of a colon tumor is a poor marker of disease control
c) 90% of colorectal tumors produce CEA
d) there is a high likelihood of liver involvement if the CEA level is high (greater than 100 ng/mL)
e) CEA levels are unusually low in cigarette smokers

The number of blacks in medical schools nationwide seems to be as alarmingly low as the number of blacks in firefighting in Savannah--"blacks represent about 12% of the nation's population, but only 6% of the total medical school enrollment, 5% of medical school graduates, 5% of postgraduate trainees, 3% of physicians in practice, and 2% of medical school faculties."

Here's a thought experiment--do you want the highest scoring fireman and/or doctor when your life is at stake or someone who is in that place because of a National Action Network protest? I wonder how Ms. Blakely would answer. Oh wait, she can walk again.