Pool of Potential Firefighters Diversifies
By Associated Press | November 28, 2007
The pool of candidates seeking to become New York City firefighters is more diverse than ever in the history of the department, where 90% of firefighters are white males, city officials said yesterday.
The written firefighter exam, which is given every four years, was passed this year by 21,183 test-takers. Among the 4,000 top scorers who are most likely to be called up for hire, 18% are Hispanic, 12% are black, and 3% are Asian. The top pool of the last test in 2002 had 9% Hispanic, 4% black, and 1% Asian.
More than 40% of the 29,600 who applied to take this year's exam were minorities — more than double the 2002 number.
