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In a major shift, the FDNY is set to relax its hiring requirements as it struggles to boost the number of minority firefighters, the Daily News has learned.
Applicants will need only 15 college credits - down from 30 - or six months of work experience, sources said.
The FDNY has long been dogged by criticism about its lack of diversity, and its hiring practices are under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, with findings due out shortly.
The FDNY has long been dogged by criticism about its lack of diversity, and its hiring practices are under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, with findings due out shortly.
"The changes, along with a stronger recruitment effort, are small steps in the right direction," said Capt. Paul Washington, head of the Vulcan Society, a group representing the FDNY's black firefighters and a frequent critic of the department's hiring practices.
"It's encouraging, but there's more to be done."
But when 139 probationary firefighters graduated in April, just six were black. (Boohoo)
Of the FDNY's 11,400 uniformed members, about 325 - less than 3% - are black. About 30, less than 1%, are women.