Pittsburgh wants to bolster the numbers of qualified women and minority candidates for its firefighter jobs, Mayor Bill Peduto’s office said this week.

Under a request for information, or RFI, released last month, the city is asking workplace experts for help “to make the firefighter hiring process more inclusive,” the administration said in a statement. The city also wants to “reduce barriers to entry that deter women and minority participation” in the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire.

“It is vitally important that any emergency services or public safety organization is representative of the community it serves,” fire Chief Darryl Jones said in a statement. “Diversity within the organization increases public confidence and trust.”

Specifically, the RFI is pursuing outside help to review firefighter hiring policies and practices, better understand recruitment and target highly qualified women and minority candidates, among related tasks. The full document is online at http://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/redtail/images/3869_Fire_Barrier_Assessment_RFI.pdf.

First Published: October 11, 2018, 5:38 p.m.