MANHATTAN — Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro has instituted changes to a series of physical exams that many believe have kept the number of women firefighters to a "deplorable" minimum — a fraction of a percent of the 10,500-member force.
In addition to eliminating a series of physical tests as a deciding factor in academy training, Nigro is looking to significantly boost the number of women in the FDNY and make the department more accommodating for female members.
The announcement came as Nigro was grilled by the City Council for more than two hours Wednesday as the body considers legislation to require the fire department to disclose information about the race and gender makeup of its applicant pool at every step of the application process.
"The classes that are currently graduating....lack gender diversity," said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. "The real problem we'd like to focus on today is the number of women who drop out while in your academy."
Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo, chairwoman of the committee on women's issues, said the number of women firefighters was "deplorable" because the "culture of the fire department has enforced the women-need-not apply mentality."
Nigro acknowledged that diversity has been an issue with the department in the past. Mayor Bill de Blasio settled a federal lawsuit alleging that the city discriminated against minority firefighters in its hiring practices for $98 million in March.
"Past decisions had been made for years in rooms lacking any meaningful diversity. Rarely were the views of people of color or women solicited or considered," Nigro said.
New York City has only 44 women firefighters who make up less than one half of 1 percent of the 10,500-person force. In 1982 when a lawsuit first resulted in the hiring of women firefighters, there were 41 women hired.
Women make up between 10 to 15 percent of firefighters in other major cities such as Minneapolis and San Francisco. New York City would have to hire more than 350 women firefighters just to reach the national average of about 3.5 percent.
"What is it that is inherently different about New York City that makes it so we cannot achieve the greater percentages that other urban areas have been able to achieve?" asked Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal, sponsor of the racial and gender reporting legislation.
Many on the Council felt it was physical exams called the Functional Skills Test where probationary firefighters perform "a series of fire-related tasks in full firefighter gear," according to the FDNY.
Nigro said the exam has been removed as a deciding factor in whether probationary firefighters can proceed with their training. A consultant has been hired to examine whether the test negatively impacts women probationary firefighters.
Among other changes coming to the fire department are a consultant to examine the physical training aspects of the fire academy as well as its culture.
There is also a plan to have the FDNY Foundation fully fund the United Women Firefighters' physical training program through the 2017 test period and provide childcare while women are practicing for the test.
Some current and former women firefighters who testified before the committee said women firefighters were disrespected by the FDNY when it came to something as basic as using the bathroom.
Not all firehouses have separate women's bathrooms, limiting desirable assignments for women firefighters.
Nigro said he hopes to have women bathroom facilities in all firehouses by 2016 and will, by the end of this year, change the locks on all existing female restrooms so that only women have access.
Nigro said his goal is to have between 15 and 17 percent of firefighters be women. Preliminary figures show there are at least 10 women in the upcoming class, which looks to be made up of 47 percent minorities.
"We have made changes in staff and policy that people thought we would never make," said Nigro. "We must no longer wait for a judge's ruling to tell us what fairness means."
