The nation's fire departments are still trying to come to some sort of accommodation with the demands inherent in the firefighting profession while still adhering to government guidelines regarding for the employment of minorities as well as taking into account the rights of long-term employees. The impact of this on minority members depends largely on whether the minority firefighter is a black man or woman. Although an African American man occasionally finds himself in interpersonal situations with someone who is prejudiced, the sight of a black man as a member of a large municipal fire department is a common occurrence. When cases occur, such as a racist float in a Labor Day parade in New York, the response from authorities is swift and certain. The two firefighters who participated were fired. This type of rapid action supports Floren's view that "the presence of African American firefighters is no longer a novelty and firefighters have had several decades to work on issues of racism" (p. 20). This is not to say that male firefighters don't still face specific racial issues, but that those issues generally relate to things such as the number of African Americans who are promoted and given leadership positions, they have. reason for being in the fire service is no longer a question of According to Floren (1998), the type of problems facing minority male firefighters are typified by situations such as the contract negotiations concluded in Chicago earlier this year . After two and a half years of negotiations, a contract was concluded. by the Chicago City Council and the firefighters union (Corley, Edwards, 1998). However, many Black and Latino members of the force were unhappy with the position of women in the force. The firefighters were truly qualified for this job – they had the strength and endurance to do their job. However, at the risk of sounding politically incorrect, jobs requiring strength and endurance are the only area where male bias may have some basis in fact. Research in this area does not appear to examine the performance of female recruits on endurance tests compared to male recruits. It's a simple fact of nature: women generally don't have the same muscle mass as men. This doesn't mean a woman can't do this job. Many women are in much better physical shape than many men; However, some men's skepticism toward some women is perfectly understandable when you consider that the man's life may soon depend on the woman's ability to do the job and whether she is physically capable of being an integral member of the team..