Hundreds of emergency medical technicians with dreams of fighting fires aged out of the opportunity in 2020 when the last promotional test was postponed due to the pandemic.
The FDNY test has still not been given and now 324 EMTs and paramedics are ineligible because they have turned 29, the age cut-off to register for the exam, the Post has learned.
They are seeking a one-time extension ahead of the October test.
“We do not feel that we are owed an exam or deserve a handout,” said Haley Sato, a 29-year-old EMT, at a City Council hearing this month. “We simply would like to have the opportunity that we would have had in 2020 if a global pandemic did not shut down the world.”
An FDNY spokesperson said the department is in favor of an extension but it is up to the city Law Department and agency that manages city employees.
“We are exploring how this matter can be addressed consistent with applicable law,” said Anessa Hodgson, a Department of Citywide Administrative Services spokesperson.
“You might as well give these heroes who did work during the pandemic a chance to get a test that they would’ve gotten,” said Mike Greco, vice president of the DC 37 union, at the hearing.
Greco said the pay structure is the problem.
EMTs and paramedics will earn less than food delivery drivers come 2025, The Post reported.
The starting salary for EMTs is $39,386 while firefighters start at $43,904 but have bigger pay raises over time.