NEW YORK—Becoming a New York City firefighter is a job coveted by many—42,161 to be exact. That was the number of applicants who took the recent FDNY firefighter exam, which set a record for number of applicants.
“[W'’re] proud to have assisted the FDNY’s efforts to make this test available to a historic number of candidates,” Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Edna Wells Handy said in a statement.
A record 19,260 minorities took the exam, a 130 percent increase from 2007, the last time the test was administered. In addition, 1,952 women took the test, besting the total number of women who took the test in 1999, 2002, and 2007 combined.
“The extraordinary efforts we made to reach people of color and woman and interest them in the firefighter exam has been an unprecedented success,” said Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano, according to the statement.
One million dollars was spent on print advertising for the exam. Social media also played a big role in recruitment with 14,000 questions from applicants coming through social media channels.
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