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New FDNY entry exam tests everything but firefighting

The new version of the exam was created after a judge ruled the previous exam discriminated against minorities

NEW YORK — Critics of a new FDNY entry exam set to be introduced in 2017 said it quizzes candidates on a wide range of topics but asks very little about firefighting.

The New York Post reported the new test has been “dumbed down” as a result of a judge ruling the former exam discriminated against minorities. A preparation manual for the exam asks aspiring firefighters to watch videos on how to install a toilet and replace a sink.

“It’s great to prepare firefighters for their second jobs as plumbers,” a source said. “The FDNY might as well call this the ‘Side Job Preparation Guide.’”

For the math segment of the test, applicants will be given tips on solving word problems and then a sample exercise about nutritional labels. The reading comprehension section asks applicants to read a passage of an article titled “Natural Born Killers” about African killer bees. The sample exam includes a video explaining how to do CPR on an infant, but according to a veteran paramedic, it does not conform to the methods taught by the AHA.

“I think what they’re trying to accomplish is to measure a candidate’s ability to comprehend information and instructions,” an FDNY official said.

In 2010, a judge ruled the FDNY exams that were first given in 1999 and 2002 discriminated against minorities and should be discontinued. As part of the ruling, the city agreed to pay $98 million to the minorities passed over by the department and offered some another chance.

The city worked with the Vulcan Society, a fraternal group of black firefighters, to create a new exam in 2012 that has given minorities the opportunity to be hired.

“We have hired more than 1,400 outstanding firefighters who performed well on the 2012 exam, and will continue to use the civil-service list from that test until the new exam is given,” said FDNY spokesman Frank Gribbon.

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