More than 61,000 applicants have filed for the upcoming FDNY firefighter exam, including record numbers of minorities and woman.
Two-and-a-half times as many blacks and Hispanics filed and more than three times as many women applied for this exam compared to the one given in 2007, according to a department news release.
The two-month sign-up period for the exam ended on Tuesday.
"Our sustained, years-long recruitment effort has attracted the largest and most diverse group of candidates ever," Commissioner Salvatore Cassano said in a statement. "Now, we want to make sure all the applicants come to take the test next year."
The new recruitment initiative followed a lawsuit accusing the department of using exams that discriminated against minorities.
A judge ultimately ordered the FDNY to create a new exam.
The FDNY Open Competitive Firefighter Exam will be administered in January 2012.
