The Fire Department wants to create its own high school to try to get teens to join the ranks of the city’s Bravest when they graduate.
The school, to be named the FDNY-Homeland Security HS, would be located in a portion of Thomas Jefferson HS in East New York.
“The school’s culture, academic curriculum and core values will be infused with FDNY and homeland security themes,” FDNY Deputy Commissioner Douglas White said yesterday.
White, who testified at a City Council hearing on FDNY recruitment efforts, said the school would help get teens to join the department.
“Clearly, we hope that some, perhaps many, of the young people who graduate from this school will opt for community service as EMTs, firefighters or paramedics, or engage in similar homeland security-related careers,” White said.
In addition to regular studies, students would practice FDNY drills and assist the department in community-safety programs. They would also be mentored by firefighters.
Graduating seniors will get an EMS certificate in addition to their diploma.
If approved, the school would be paid for by a grant from Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates’ $51 million New Century High School Initiative to build new schools in the city. It’s unclear when the school would open or how many students would attend.
Despite plans for the school, which would be located in a mostly black neighborhood, council members blasted the FDNY for poor recruitment tactics and for its lack of diversity.
According to 2002 data, only 9.4 percent of firefighters are minorities and just 0.3 percent are women.
While diversity improved between 1997 and 2003 – the number of minorities increased by 2.1 percent – the council said more needs to be done.
“We’re not trying to find needles in a haystack,” said Council Member Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn), who chairs the Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services. “These are our citizens.”
Clarke said New York ranks last among 10 major cities when it comes to minority firefighters.