Barriers to women, a lack of outreach to minorities, and an internal culture perceived as hostile to outsiders have contributed to the development of a City of Pittsburgh work force that's three-quarters male and three-quarters white.

Breaking down the barriers, extending a hand to black neighborhoods, and changing work force culture are the subjects of a plan developed by Tamiko Stanley, city Equal Employment Opportunities manager. After three months in that new post, she will in the next 60 days roll out a series of efforts to make sure the work force of the future "represents what our community looks like in terms of diversity," she said.

Her efforts will be scrutinized by advocates for women and minorities, labor unions and employment lawyers.

The Racial Equity Review Team, a group formed to hold the city's feet to the fire on diversity in contracting and hiring, has demanded data, promises, and action plans from the city and Allegheny County.

"Where are you now, where do you need to be to be successful, and how are you going to get there?" asked Celeste Taylor, a team member and vice chair of the Black Political Empowerment Project.

The city has some 3,300 workers, and has an outsized influence on the diversity climate, Ms. Stanley said. "The city has to take leadership in demonstrating its actual commitment because a lot of times in the corporate world, we're the example."

The 29-year-old Hill District native worked for the Pittsburgh Pirates before taking a position created by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in August.

She started by looking for bottlenecks in the city's hiring process that might keep women and minorities out. She found one -- an upper-body strength test firefighter candidates must take that women often failed and that might not reflect the true demands of the job.

International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1 President Joe King, who helped design the physical test, said it's designed to ensure a recruit can wield a sledgehammer, carry a ladder, handle a hose, and perform the other tasks of the job. He called it "a very good simulation," but said he had no problem with giving it another look.

The city Personnel Department is working with the union to review what firefighters do, in an effort to align the test with modern strength requirements. It's also working with the Parks Department to set up conditioning programs designed to get would-be applicants in shape for the city's physical tests.

The moves come at a time of increased federal interest in the hiring practices of fire departments. In May, the U.S. Justice Department sued the Fire Department of New York, alleging that parts of its pre-employment tests were unrelated to the duties of the job and contributed to the overwhelming whiteness of the famed force. The Federal Emergency Management Agency now demands information on diversity in hiring from cities seeking firefighting and emergency services funds.

City Personnel Director Barbara Trant, who has worked closely with Ms. Stanley, said their search for bottlenecks "found that we were generally doing the right thing" in terms of hiring, with the exception of the firefighting strength test.

Parts of the police hiring process, though, may become the subject of a court fight next year. Employment attorney Sam Cordes said he is preparing to sue on behalf of African-American police candidates who were asked during a psychological interview about discrimination claims they'd filed against past employers, and weren't hired.

Ms. Stanley is the main author of a campaign called DiverseCity 365 aimed at getting more minorities and women to apply for city jobs by emphasizing that fair employment is an everyday job.

The city has long participated in job fairs and advertised openings in newspapers. DiverseCity 365 "is a much more intimate approach," Ms. Stanley said. For instance, starting next month, city departments or bureaus will hold special recruiting sessions in minority neighborhoods.

The Emergency Medical Services Bureau will be the first to take its show on the road, starting with December presentations at the Hill House, Kingsley Association, and other locations. Staff will explain a day in the life of a paramedic, display equipment, show a video, and collect contact information from potential applicants.

The effort follows a recent recruitment push that led to a class of six paramedics in training that includes two black men, two black women and two white women, reversing years of white male recruiting classes.

EMS month will be followed by a Fire Bureau tour in January, and public safety as a whole in February.

The Public Safety Department includes the Police Bureau, which hired under a court-ordered quota system from 1975 to 1991, and has become less diverse since the order was lifted.

"We should be looking for the best -- I don't care what color they are," said Fraternal Order of Police Local 1 President James Malloy. He said the city risks running low on qualified applicants with the required 60 college credits if rookie pay remains low -- it's slated at $38,349 next year.

"How do you convince a young person, after two years in school, and get them to come to work for the Pittsburgh Police Bureau?" he asked.

Ms. Stanley said part of that sales job will be accomplished through a network of churches, businesses and local organizations she has developed to channel candidates to the city's presentations, Web site, and personnel desk. In addition to inviting people to events like the EMS presentation at the Hill House, that network will help her advertise a quarterly "hot job," like clerical specialist, where there are multiple openings.

"What they have done is good, but it's not enough," said Ms. Taylor, after being told of the plan.

She said the city should adopt something akin to the National Football League's "Rooney rule" requiring that teams interview at least one minority candidate for any head coaching job. If city departments were not allowed to fill positions without interviewing minority candidates, that would lead to a more representative work force, she said.

Few people will apply to work where they think they're not wanted. Ms. Taylor said there's a perceived "increase in hostile work environments when it comes to race, gender and sexual orientation." This year, nooses were found in several non-city work sites.

Ms. Stanley's solution is City University, a set of courses on diversity, tolerance and ethics that start next month in the EMS Bureau.

Teachers from the city and the Young Women's Christian Association will run mandatory courses for all workers, and, later, optional courses for management. Ms. Stanley said the goal is to "make our culture, on a permanent basis, more conducive to retaining a diverse work force."

Mr. Malloy said the training may be redundant, since police recruits "are already indoctrinated to the principle of treating people with respect."

Mr. Cordes said the training sounds like a positive step, and there's room for improvement. He said he's likely to sue the city next year for violating the Americans With Disabilities Act by terminating two firefighters who were, respectively, diabetic and subject to seizures.

Ms. Stanley said she's not worried that her work will be watched by lawyers, union heads and advocates. "I think it actually can serve as a check and balance for us, to keep us on our toes."