A West Point grad with a Bronze Star could miss out on being a part of the FDNY’s long-awaited next academy class because of a string of mistakes the city made while processing his application.
By the time the problem is fixed, Joseph Whaley, a 35-year-old Army captain from Long Island who served in Iraq, could be too old to join the Bravest.
“My buddies in the department tell me that I should be a shoo-in with my credentials,” Whaley said. “I’ve led men in combat. I graduated from West Point. I’m in great shape.”
The tragedy of errors started in 2008, when Whaley took the city’s firefighter exam. The Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which administers the test, failed to add five veteran bonus points to the 95 he scored on the test.
After three months of phone calls and e-mails to the city, the DCAS finally added the points, but 870 recruits who scored better than 95 had already been hired.
Then, city budget cuts and a lawsuit over alleged racial discrimination put FDNY recruitment on hold.
The city straightened out the financial problem and, although the suit is pending, hired 300 more firefighters, who enter the academy in September.
Whaley could have been in that class, ranking 197th on the list, but he says he missed that chance because the city never told him to come in for the physical exam.
The DCAS declined to comment on Whaley’s claims, other than saying it was looking into them.
The next physical will not be offered until November, too late for him to join the upcoming class.
Whaley, who is still a reserve captain in the Army, said he’s afraid that if he doesn’t get in this time, his age and military obligations will keep him out of the department for good.
“Next year, I’ll probably be in Afghanistan, and when I get out, I’ll be too old,” he said. “They really screwed me over.”
The FDNY age cap is 29 for a regular recruit, but with a military waiver it jumps to 36.