FDNY Sued For Discrimination, Again

Following the conclusion of a two year investigation into complaints, the Justice Department is suing the FDNY for discrimination in its hiring practices. Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta responded to the suit by pointing out that the minority hiring rate for firefighters over the last five years was three times the average of the previous decade. The [New York Post] notes that approximately 330 of the city's 11,600 firefighters are black, 630 are Hispanic, about 70 are Asian and 30 are female.

From [NY1]: “The Vulcan Society – an organization of black firefighters – sued the FDNY five years ago, claiming it discriminates against blacks and Hispanics and saying the entrance exam is unfair to minorities. That complaint was upheld by the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”

[CBS2 News] explains that the FDNY hires firefighters from a civil service list that ranks applicants based on a combination of their scores on written and physical tests, the former of which the paper says has apparently been an issue for minorities.

The Bloomberg administration's top lawyer Michael Cardozo penned a letter to the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney in New York arguing that the lawsuit is based on old data and asking them to reconsider.

Since 2002, new hiring measures have been employed that reduce the minimum college-credit requirement from 30 to 15 as long as the applicant has either six months of military service or work experience. The exam given in January was criticized for being dumbed down—some questions had a few correct answers. At the time, FDNY sources said that the test was a way to have as many applicants pass as possible.

Photo courtesy of [uberzombie on Flickr]