NY1.com
NEW YORK — Mayor Michael Bloomberg attended this morning a swearing-in ceremony on Randall’s Island of the most diverse class of probationary firefighters in FDNY history.
FDNY officials say of the 318 recruits sworn in today, two-thirds of them are African-American, Latino or Asian. There are also eight women, representing the largest class of female firefighters since the 1980s. More than half the current recruits worked as EMTs before being promoted to firefighters. These latest recruits represent a long struggle from activists and politicians to increase diversity among firefighters.
“You are in short a true cross-section of this magnificent city,” Bloomberg said. “In the nearly 12 years since we’ve been in office, the proportion of minority firefighters in the FDNY has nearly doubled. The number of female firefighters has also increased by a third. And I’m completely confident that in the years to come, building on the foundation that we have laid, this trend toward greater diversity in the ranks of New York’s Bravest will continue.”
Full story: FDNY Swears In Its Most Diverse Class Of Firefighters