More Minorities, Women Applying to FDNY

WNYC News | Jul 12, 2010

New York, NY —

City officials say the pool of candidates trying to become firefighters is the most diverse in the history of the Fire Department. Forty percent of the nearly 30,000 candidates who applied to take this year's written exam were minorities - more than double the number in 2002. Five percent of the applicants were women.

REPORTER: Mayor Bloomberg attributed the increase to a more ambitious recruiting program.

BLOOMBERG: This dramatic increase is an encouraging sign that more women and minorities than ever before are going to be hired in the years to come.

REPORTER: Currently, 90% of the city's firefighters are white males. The US Justice Department filed a lawsuit earlier this year, alleging the city's last 2 exams discriminated against blacks and Hispanics. Last year, the city changed the eligibility requirements for the exam.

Applicants no longer need college credits and can apply if they graduated from high school and held a full-time job for 6 months or served in the military.

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