Mayor De Blasio On Hand For Swearing-In Of 320 New FDNY Firefighters
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio and Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro presided over the swearing-in ceremony for 320 new firefighters Monday.
De Blasio said he wanted to thank "each and every one of these heroes'' for their sacrifice and for their service.
The new firefighters, or "probies" as they're called, went through 18 weeks of training in fire suppression, medical responses, hazardous material handling and other subjects.
The class is one of the most diverse in FDNY history, with 45 percent of the new recruits identifying as women and people of color.
"This year's class reflects the rich racial and ethnic diversity of our great city, and I couldn't be more proud," de Blasio said.
Officials said there are three woman in the class who will join the 44 women already serving among the city's roughly 10,500 uniformed firefighters.
They also said 17 percent of the new class identifies as black, 24 percent as Hispanic and 4 percent as Asian.
"With each new class of Probationary Firefighters, FDNY grows stronger and more representative of the communities it serves by adding more women and people of color to their ranks," Nigro added.
The new class also includes 13 EMTs and Paramedics from FDNY's Bureau of EMS and more than 50 veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
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