Hose, Helmet, Ladder? Check. Definition Of The Word Caitiff? Um
[The Vulcan Society] fraternal order of black firefighters has moved to join a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against the FDNY accusing it of inadvertently [discouraging blacks and Hispanics](http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--fdny-discriminati0717jul17,0,1404029.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork) from joining the department. Yesterday, lawyers for the organization filed papers in Brooklyn federal court in support of Justice Department claims that the written SAT-style exams used by the city for entry into the profession in 1999 and 2002 were unfair to minority applicants and not relevant to fire fighting. The Vulcan Society also filed the 2002 complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that prompted the Justice Departments actions.
City officials, meanwhile, are [defending their hiring practices], calling the lawsuit misleading and say that they will fight it vigorously in court. They also say that they have already begun developing a new entry exam and have also launched a multi-million dollar minority recruiting campaign in order to remedy inequalities. But the move against the city puts the Vulcan Society into direct conflict with the [Uniformed Firefighters Associations](http://www.ufalocal94.org/), the union that represents most city firefighters. Union president Steve Cassidy has filed an affidavit [on behalf of the union](http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=71698) defending the city and the exams, saying that they test for intelligence and mental skills necessary for the job.
But the real question here, of course, is: Did anyone know that firefighters joined fraternal orders? We had no idea.
Photo courtesy of [kk+ on Flickr]