Welcome to the Paragon Society 

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We are a group of predominantly African-American Firefighters from Cambridge, MA, home to the First African American Fire Chief in 1871, Chief Patrick Raymond.

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While we all have our own personal reasons for forming this group, collectively, we share in the desire to see more of our cultural community represented in the fire service. Equally important, we are able to reach into our community and help those, like ourselves, learn about the job. In doing so, we will help create fire departments with more diversity, increase the number of minority applicants, hires, and promotions, while also insuring inclusivity.

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The Paragon Society will help to illuminate and tether the causes aimed at increasing diversity, recruiting, hiring, and guidance with other workplace issues.

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We look forward to working with all groups in our community. Our full membership is open to all career firefighters, with associate memberships for our counterparts in the Emergency Medical Services field. Our goals are to foster connections and understanding everywhere, create a supportive environment for those of us who grapple with similar history/experiences, and follow the mission statement of the Phoenix Society….

“Unity Insures Longevity.”

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Welcome to the newly chartered, local chapter of the IABPFF. 

 

Established in January of 2021, we chose Paragon for our organization because a Paragon is a symbol of Excellence; a black touchstone used to validate the quality of precious metals; and a person with morals and without faults.  We hope to embody and model these same qualities to our communities.