FIRE DEPARTMENT TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL $1.3 IN ANNUAL BUDGET FOR RECRUITMENT INITIATIVES

Funds will help expand the Department’s EEO and recruitment efforts beginning in fiscal 2006

During testimony before the City Council today, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta announced that Mayor Bloomberg has approved an additional $1.376 million for the FDNY Equal Opportunity Unit (EEO) and the Recruitment and Diversity Initiatives Unit in the fiscal 2006 budget.

This unprecedented funding will allow the Department to fund seven new, permanent full time positions in the Recruitment Unit as well as provide $500,000 for recruitment centers and more than $190,000 for the FDNY Explorer program and expanded informational programs. In addition, the department will add five more staff members to its EEO Unit in Fiscal 2006. These programs are crucial in helping the Department reach every community and every prospective Firefighter Candidate as we continue to increase diversify among our ranks

Contact: Francis X. Gribbon / David Billig (FDNY) (718) 999-2056

http://www.nyc.gov/fdny