So the city is moving ahead to hire off the results of the latest firefighter exam, after federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis decided the test had been watered down enough to meet his demands to emphasize “diversity” over ability to do the job.
I’m imagining a night in 10 years or so, and Judge Garaufis waking suddenly to the alarm of a blaring smoke detector.
He can’t see anything, it’s difficult to breathe; he realizes his home is on fire. He stumbles out of bed, crawls on the floor, but is unsure what to do or where to go. He crawls into a back bedroom and closes the door, thinking he will be safe from the flames, unaware that 95 percent of the time it’s smoke inhalation that kills fire victims.
Conditions quickly deteriorate, and Garaufis starts to fear he’s not going to survive. As panic starts to set in, he hears the faint siren of an approaching firetruck and starts to hope.
Then he starts to wonder how long will it take for firefighters to break down his front door and begin to put water on the fire. How long will it take them to save him?
Not once would he ever begin to wonder about the race, sex or color of the firefighters coming to save him.
For anyone whose life hangs in the balance, only one thing matters: getting out alive. Then, even the Garaufises of the world want only “the best.”
But the judge’s mandates should leave all New Yorkers worrying about whether the FDNY will continue to get the best. The latest firefighter exam may produce diversity, but it won’t guarantee that the best get hired. What will the FDNY look like in 10 years?
For the first time in nearly half a century, there is no competitive physical exam to qualify for the job of New York City firefighter.
There’s a test to check that candidates meet certain minimums, but being better able to meet the job’s serious physical demands won’t help you make the cut.
Fighting fires in New York is extremely physically challenging. Firefighters wear bunker gear and carry tools that weigh up to 130 pounds. Imagine racing up 10 flights of stairs just to reach an apartment fire — and then you’ve got to go to work.
Of course, New Yorkers want smart and athletic firefighters. But the new FDNY entrance exam, tailored to address Garaufis’ demands, doesn’t measure athletic ability. And many question whether the written exam (which is solely responsible for candidate ranking) has any academic merit at all.
If NFL stars like Victor Cruz and Darrelle Revis decided they wanted to be New York City firefighters and took this recent exam, they’d get no credit for their incredible athletic ability and thus likely would never be hired. That’s an incredibly flawed exam.
Firefighting is about saving lives. Everyone knows that seconds count, especially when life hangs in the balance. If the hiring process doesn’t identify the best candidates regardless of race and sex, the system fails all New Yorkers.
There are ways to boost diversity without lowering standards; the UFA’s been suggesting them for years. For example, recruit from the US military and from the ranks of student athletes at city high schools. And give the test more often — every two years, instead of every four.
And make a competitive physical a significant part of the candidate-ranking system.
Those who live, work and visit New York, want the absolute best firefighters coming to save them if tragedy strikes. This exam isn’t likely to add the best to the FDNY’s ranks — and those responsible for it have failed all New Yorkers.
Steve Cassidy is president of the city Uniformed Firefighters Association.