More Hispanics, Blacks and Women Pass Firefighter Exam – New York City

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other city officials announced this morning that 38 percent of the 21,183 applicants who passed the city’s firefighters examination on Jan. 20 are minorities, calling the result “a significant improvement” since the last time the exam was administered, in 2002, when 21 percent of those who passed were minorities. The Fire Department has historically been criticized for having relatively few women, blacks and Hispanics, compared with the far more diverse Police Department.

The city also noted a 50 percent increase in the number of women test-takers who passed: 770 this year, compared with 512 in 2002.

According to the city, of the 21,183 test-takers who passed this year, 19 percent were Hispanic, 17 percent were black and 2 percent were Asian. In 2002, 12 percent of the test-takers who passed the exam were Hispanic, 7 percent were black and 2 percent were Asian.”*

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