Hub fire cadet program heads to gov
The city’s fire cadet program has the Legislature’s sign-off, and will now head to the governor’s desk for final approval.
The proposal, which has wound its way through the legislative process over the past two years, would create a Boston Fire Department two-year program for which locals aged 18 to 25 to learn the firefighting ropes and then have an advantage in applying to the department.
The goal is to get more Bostonians — particularly people of color and women — onto the department. Each class could hold up to 50 people.
The legislation — a home-rule petition introduced by Walsh in February 2019, approved by the city council and now both houses of the Legislature — now heads to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk. Baker spokesman Terry McCormack said, “The Administration will carefully review the legislation on the Governor’s desk.”
Boston’s fire and police departments have taken flak over the years for remaining largely white and male in a city that’s made up around 54% of minorities.
The fire department had risen to about 40% people of color around 20 years ago, but has since dropped off to about 28%, according to the city. There are only a handful of female firefighters in the department, which has come under fire recently with allegations of sexism, as outlined in a city-commissioned report last year.
The police department already has a cadet program — one that counts current Commissioner William Gross and his immediate predecessor William Evans as alums.