Legislation aims to improve diversity inside FDNY ranks

The legislation introduced would require the fire department to develop a plan to ensure the racial, ethnic and gender demographics of the department reflect the city's population, while also ensuring city firehouses have a safe environment for a diverse workforce.

News 12 Staff

Sep 19, 2022, 11:45 PM

Updated 756 days ago

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City Council Speaker Adreienne Adams and the Council's Black, Latino and Asian caucuses announced legislation they say addresses the FDNY's recruitment and retention of diverse firefighters.
They say they want the department to look more like the population of the city itself. Adams says FDNY firefighters tend to be disproportionately comprised of white men, despite white men being less than a quarter of city’s population.
The legislation introduced would require the fire department to develop a plan to ensure the racial, ethnic and gender demographics of the department reflect the city's population, while also ensuring city firehouses have a safe environment for a diverse workforce.
Adams says there's been previous efforts to boost diversity in the fire department, and more work needs to be done.