This capstone examines the organizational, historical, and policy factors that shape racial and gender diversity, recruitment, and retention within urban fire departments in the United States. Using a hybrid theoretical framework grounded in representative bureaucracy, organizational equity, and social identity theory, this study synthesizes peer-reviewed scholarship and practitioner literature published between 2022 and 2025. Primary sources include U.S. Fire Administration workgroup reports, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health analyses, municipal workforce assessments, and federal civil rights enforcement actions. Findings indicate that while many departments have adopted targeted recruitment strategies to diversify applicant pools, these efforts are frequently undermined by persistent organizational culture barriers, inequitable promotion systems, and insufficient retention infrastructure. Legal and civil-service constraints shape hiring practices but do not necessarily transform workplace climate. The analysis identifies critical gaps in longitudinal data, intersectional research, and standardized evaluation metrics. This study concludes with evidence based recommendations for integrated recruitment and retention reform, emphasizing mentorship, selection-process validation, ergonomic and family-supportive workplace policies, leadership accountability, and external program evaluation.