FDNY Chooses Not To Hire Rookies Amid Bias Suit

NEW YORK - New York City won't hire rookie firefighters until a new entry exam is created to replace one a judge has declared discriminatory.

The city's law department had until Friday to choose one of five alternatives to hire entry-level firefighters while awaiting the new exam.

But the department said in a letter to the court it is choosing none of the alternatives because they all involved a race-based quota. Corporation Counsel head Michael Cardozo says that would be bad public policy.

U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis (GEHR'-ah-fuhs) found in August that the test used by the mostly white department was unfair to black and Hispanic applicants.

It's not clear how long it will take to create and approve a new test.

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on September 18, 2010 at 12:49pm

Here's a good article regarding this issue.

What the NY Jets can do that the FDNY Cannot

It compares the legal requirements FDNY is laboring under - and belabored by - unfavorably to New Yorker's expectations to the NY Jets.

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on September 18, 2010 at 12:51pm

And this has exactly what to do with an applicant's ability to fight fires and successfully handle other life threats?

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Permalink Reply by Fabulous Heather Days of Summer on September 18, 2010 at 9:51pm

Ben that was an interesting article.

I am not sure if the problem is different when it is private money supporting an entertainment as opposed to public money supporting a community service entity?

I have a privately owned hospital next to my house which is religiously owned and they have the right to hire people who belong to their religion BEFORE seeking the best candidate.

I don't think the fire service has the ability to make itself an exclusive club when it is a public entity ???

I don't know enough about the actual testing process that they have which makes it specifically difficult to pass.

But as a girl, I had to work hard to pass my firefighting tests - and I was always the top of my class against the 40 others - who were men. As the minority, I found the men were more arrogant in believing that they were men and could easily pass and when they were sadly beat by me - a girl - many of them struggled with and changed their attitudes. But I knew going in that I would have to work harder than the guys, since I can not just rely on brute physical muscle-mass abilitiy. Work smarter, not harder.

And as far as written exams, I am Caucasian - so since I am in the majority, I am not sure that I can speak specifically to the needs of the minority. But in general I have seen tests throughout my life that are bias in a variety of ways.