FDNY Unveils 2011 Firefighter Recruitment Campaign
Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano unveiling the firefighter recruitment advertisements.
Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, Chief of Department Edward Kilduff, Chief of Operations Robert Sweeney and Assistant Commissioner of FDNY Recruitment and Diversity Michele Maglione visited Engine 37/Ladder 40 on July 18 to announce the launch of a new advertising campaign for the Open Competitive Firefighter Exam.
Created by Graphic Artist Iwona Gardner, who works for the FDNY, and FDNY Photographer Randy Barron, the campaign features FDNY members and aims to attract a diverse group of men and women to apply for the new exam.
"Being a New York City firefighter is the greatest job in the world," said Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano. "This job is an extension of my family - it's my life."
The Commissioner was joined by President of the United Women Firefighter's Association, FF Regina Wilson; President of the Vulcan Society, FF John Coombs; Former President of the Vulcan Society, Capt. Paul Washington; President of the FDNY Hispanic Society, Lt. George Diaz; and COO of the Harlem Children's Zone, Ann Williams-Isom.
Firefighters Khalid Baylor, Ladder 14; Tenesha Forbes, Engine 230; Eric Lau, Engine 291; Alex Martinez, Engine 291; and Sophy Media, Engine 9; are featured in the campaign.
It focuses on the benefits associated with becoming a New York City firefighter.
The FDNY will spend more than $1 million to feature the ad in more than 60 community and ethnic newspapers in the city, as well as radio ads that will run on urban and Hispanic stations.
Filing for the test is open from July 15, 2011, to Sept. 15, 2011. The exam is scheduled to be administered in January 2012.
An ad on the side of Engine 37's rig. All fire apparatus will be outfitted with these ads.
The Department also will use social media to communicate information about the exam process, including dozens of recruitment events each week where FDNY members will assist members of the public in signing up for the exam online. Recruiters in the field will have wireless laptops and gift cards for purchase that can be used to electronically file for the test.
In addition, with pro bono assistance from The Arnell Group, advertisements will appear in kiosks across the city and all FDNY apparatus will be outfitted with recruitment messages.
Commissioner Cassano said that in the last 18 months, the FDNY's Recruitment and Diversity Unit has attended more than 6,000 events, including career fairs, athletic clubs, colleges, cultural centers, LGBT locations, state motor vehicle offices, city parks, subway stations and churches. More than 130,000 individuals at these events (65 percent of whom are minorities) have expressed interest in taking the test. The Recruitment Unit is reaching out to those individuals via phone banks and e-mail to advise them the filing period is open and to sign up for the test.
In the last decade, the FDNY has tripled its rate of minority hires from the previous ten year span. The most recent class of probationary firefighters (in December 2008) was the most diverse in the Department's history, with 35 percent of its members coming from a minority background.
In 2005 and 2006, following an unprecedented increase of $3.2 million in annual funding to expand the FDNY Recruitment and Diversity Unit, nearly 20 percent of all probationary firefighter classes were minorities.
Anyone interested in learning more about the exam or that want to apply can call 311 or (718) 999-FDNY, or go to the following websites:
http://www.nyc.gov/dcas
www.nyc.gov/fdny
www.facebook.com/joinFDNY
www.twitter.com/joinFDNY