The Recruiter
FEBRUARY 2016
INSIDE
THIS
ISSUE:
FDNY
Marches in
the Lunar
New Year
Parade
Meet
“Probie”
Danny
Chan
Firefighter
101
Former
FDNY
Explorer
Becomes
Program’s
First FDNY
Paramedic
Story continues on page 2
FDNY Celebrates Black History Month
T
he FDNY
celebrated Black
History
Month at Headquarters
in Brooklyn on Feb. 10.
The program was
organized by the African
Heritage Society for the
22nd consecutive year.
“We must all learn from
our past so that we can
make our department
better in the future,”
said FDNY Fire
Commissioner Daniel A.
Nigro. “I believe that we
are stronger and that we
accomplish more when
every voice is heard.
Through a renewed
focus on every event
that celebrates the
heritage of our
members, we continue to
create a more inclusive
department.”
The program featured
musical performances and a
guest speaker – Ginger
Adams Otis, whose book
“Firefight” discusses the
efforts of the Vulcan Society
and Black firefighters
towards a more diverse and
FDNY Fire Commissioner Daniel A.
Nigro delivered remarks at the Black
History Month Program on Feb. 10.
PAGE 2 THE RECRUITER
Story continued from previous page
FDNY Celebrates Black History Month
African Americans help draw us
closer to becoming a more perfect
union,” said John Dove from the
Fire Inspection Unit, who served as
master of ceremonies for the
program.
“In 1994, about 20 of us civilians
got together and organized the first
event because it was important to
us that our heritage be represented
– here, where we work. Even with
most of the original members
gone, we are still doing what we
first organized to do and we haven’t
missed a year,” said Marilyn
Gipson, a 40-year employee of
FDNY and an original member of
the FDNY African Heritage
Society. “Everyone throughout the
Department has been very
supportive of our efforts.”
In addition, on Feb. 18, the society
hosted a Craft and Talent Program
at Department Headquarters,
which allowed members to
showcase their creativity in
recognition of Black History
Month.
FDNY African Heritage Society
Member opened and closed the Black
History Month Program in song on
Feb. 5.
inclusive Fire Department.
The time taken during this
month each year to observe Black
history, still, as President Obama
has said – gives us the chance to
examine the evolution of our
country and understand how
PAGE 3 THE RECRUITER
FDNY Celebrates the Year of the Monkey
T
he FDNY kicked-
off the Year of the
Monkey on Feb. 14
with its largest contingent
to ever march in the Lunar
New Year Parade in New
York City. The FDNY Fire
and Emergency Medical
Service Explorers joined
FDNY Fire Commissioner
Daniel A. Nigro and the
FDNY Phoenix Society to
celebrate the event, which
ran along the busiest
sections of Chinatown.
The FDNY wishes
everyone a happy, healthy
and prosperous new year!
PAGE 4
THE RECRUITER
Meet ‘Probie’ Danny Chan
A
fter serving tours in
Iraq as a U.S.
Marine, FDNY
Probationary
Firefighter Danny Chan said
that he is now continuing
efforts to give back to the
community by working as one
of New York’s Bravest.
“Working in a great career like
this gives you a sense of
purpose,” he explained. “We
help people each day and that’s
really important.”
As a Firefighter Candidate,
Chan participated in the
FDNY’s Candidate Physical
Ability Test (CPAT) Training
Program, Firefighter Candidate
Mentorship Program (FFCMP)
and Fitness Awareness
Program (FAP). Each program,
he explained, enabled him to
learn more about the
Firefighter job.
“It takes a lot of dedication and
hard work to get this job,” Chan
said. “I spent a lot of time preparing
for this job and learning more about
it before the Academy and it was
definitely worth it.”
FDNY Probationary Firefighter Danny
Chan graduated from the Fire
Academy on November 6, 2015. He also
finished fourth in his class, which had
295 Probationary Firefighters in total.
Story continues on page 5
PAGE 5 THE RECRUITER
Meet ‘Probie’ Danny Chan
While he was a FDNY
Firefighter Candidate
in April 2015,
Probationary
Firefighter Danny
Chan, center,
participated in the
Firefighter Candidate
Mentorship Program
(FFCMP) Information
Session at the Fire
Academy in New York
City.
Story continued from previous page
In this FDNY Family
Day photo from
October 2015, FDNY
Probationary
Firefighter Danny
Chan, second from
right, is all smiles
with some of his
Alpha 23 squad
members. Chan
served as the squad’s
leader while
completing the
challenging 18-week
Fire Academy.
Story continues on page 6
PAGE 6 THE RECRUITER
Meet ‘Probie’ Danny Chan
Story continued from previous page
While in the Fire Academy, he also performed with distinction by
serving as a squad leader of Alpha 23. In addition, he finished fourth
in his class, which had 295 Probationary Firefighters in total. When he
graduated on November 5, 2015, he was also one of 35 veterans in that
class.
And now Chan, 31, is helping to keep New York City safe at Ladder
109 in Brooklyn.
“This is the best job in the world, but it comes with great
responsibility and I always keep that in my mind,” he said. “When
you’re working, you could save the life of a stranger and help make
this world a better place. Not many careers allow you to do that, so it’s
an honor to be able to work here.”
Stay Connected With @JoinFDNY
PAGE 7 THE RECRUITER
Story continues on page 8
FDNY Firefighter Featured on Reality Show
n recognition of
Valentine’s Day,
Join FDNY caught
up with Firefighter
Jason Carrion, who
fell in love with his wife,
Cortney Hendrix, during
season one of the A&E
Network reality show
"Married at First Sight.”
The two romantics are
now looking forward to
celebrating their second
wedding anniversary next
month. Check out what
Carrion, who serves at
Engine 10 in New York
City, had to say about love,
marriage and becoming
one of New York’s
Bravest.
JoinFDNY: What do you
think about Valentine’s
Day?
Jason Carrion: It’s nice.
We celebrate it and have a
lot of fun that day. Last
year, we went to a
beautiful restaurant by a pier side and we had a
nice romantic dinner. I always try to outdo
myself with things like this, so I’m stepping it
up again this year [laughs].
JF: Did you ever think you would meet your
wife on a TV show?
JC: Absolutely not [laughs]. It was crazy
because I went through my first year of
In Celebration of Valentine’s Day
FDNY Firefighter Jason Carrion, right, and his wife,
Cortney Hendrix, fell in love on the A&E Network
reality show "Married at First Sight.”
PAGE 8 THE RECRUITER
FDNY Firefighter Featured on Reality Show
marriage with a woman that I
don’t really know while going
through the Fire Academy,
which was one of the hardest
things I’ve had to complete in
my entire life. My mother
passed away shortly after we
got married, Cortney was in
between jobs during that time
and we had just moved into a
new apartment. We were
going through some serious
issues and it was unreal that
all of this was happening at
the same time. But we made it
through together. Now I have
this beautiful wife in my life
and I have a great career, so
I’m really happy about all of
that.
JF: How’s married life?
JC: It’s really surreal, because
I didn’t know her name or
anything and I literally met
her for the first time at the
altar. But we immediately got
along great and it was an
immediate attraction and
instant chemistry. We have an
amazing connection and that’s really
special. We’re truly in love and still going
strong.
Story continued from previous page
Story continues on page 9
PAGE 9 THE RECRUITER
FDNY Firefighter Featured on Reality Show
JF: What’s it like being a New
York City Firefighter?
JC: It was a long journey to get
here and I had to dedicate a lot of
time to get this job. But now I’m
here and it’s really a great feeling
to know that I work for such a
great Department. This is the best
Story continued from previous page
job.
JF: We also heard that you recently
helped to rescue an injured hawk
while you were working in
Manhattan. Tell us about that.
JC: Yes. When we arrived to the site
after we got the call, we saw the hawk
and it was basically banging into
buildings while it was flying around
and you could immediately tell
something was wrong. The bird landed
and we tried to grab it, but it flew away.
When the hawk finally landed again, it
was just near the World Trade Center
site, and one of the Lieutenants in my
firehouse was able to put a jacket over
the hawk and we eventually put the
hawk in a box and brought it to our
firehouse. From there, we really just
tried to keep the bird as calm as
possible until animal rescue arrived.
We were just glad that we could help
the bird before it hurt itself even more.
You never know what kind of call
you’re going get on this job, but we’re
always here and ready to utilize our
training to help the City. Being a New
York City Firefighter is an amazing job
and you learn so much working here.
PAGE 10
THE RECRUITER
Join FDNY in the Community
O
ur recruiters can
be spotted in
many areas
throughout the five
boroughs sharing
important information
about our rewarding
careers. This month,
they visited, among
other places, Queens
College, the Flatbush
Avenue/Atlantic Avenue
subway station in
Brooklyn and the Super
Foodtown of Harlem.
Aspiring Firefighters
and EMS members were
able to learn more about
our job opportunities
and meet some of our
members, as well as
complete an expression
of interest form for the
career they are
interested in pursing.
Check out more
highlights from these
events on the next page.
Story continues on page 11
PAGE 11
THE RECRUITER
Join FDNY in the Community
PAGE 12
THE RECRUITER
Firefighter 101:
The Leg Lock
D
uties that require
a New York City
Firefighter to
work from the
ladder necessitate the use of a
leg lock or the life belt for safe-
ty. The leg performing the
locking maneuver is opposite
the working side. For example,
if the member wants to lean to
the right and vent a window,
he or she will lock his or her
left leg on the ladder. To per-
form the leg lock, the locking
leg is placed over and under
the rung that is two rungs
above the one on which the
member is standing. In addi-
tion, the snap hook of the life
belt hooks directly to the lad-
der rung. Want to learn more
about this topic? Visit our
website: http:
on.nyc.gov/1Kea0tF.
Don’t Procrastinate! Start
Don’t Procrastinate! Start
Don’t Procrastinate! Start
studying the “Probie” Manu-
studying the “Probie” Manu-
studying the “Probie” Manu-
al today to get ready for the
al today to get ready for the
al today to get ready for the
F
F
F
ire Academy!
ire Academy!
ire Academy!
PAGE 13
THE RECRUITER
The United Women
Firefighters (UWF)
is scheduled to host
physical fitness
training for women
Firefighter Candi-
dates in March at
the New York
Sports Club on
Wall Street in New
York City. The club
is located at 30
Wall Street, New
York, NY 10005. To
be eligible to participate, every candidate must bring a gym lock, at least a 50
pound vest, fitness clothes and sneakers, water and a medical waiver. In addi-
tion, every candidate should attend the training properly hydrated and fueled
and ready for an intense workout. Please note that these workout sessions are
designed to prepare candidates for the physical training at the Fire Academy. To
register for the sessions, please e-mail womenrecruitsfdny@yahoogroups.com.
*Please note that all new candidates must arrive to the training ses-
sions early.
UWF to Host Training for Candidates
March 2016 UWF Training Schedule
March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m.
March 6, 13, 20 and 27 at 12 p.m.
PAGE 14
THE RECRUITER
RECRUITMENT CORNER
Former Explorer Becomes Program’s First FDNY ‘Medic’
C
ongratulations to for-
mer FDNY Explorer
Zarhar Washington, left, for
becoming the Exploring Pro-
gram's first FDNY Paramed-
ic on Feb. 5.
Washington, who now serves
as a Post Advisor in the pro-
gram, was one of 59 Para-
medics who graduated from
the FDNY EMS Academy
that morning.
The Exploring Program,
which is a part of the Office
of Recruitment and Diversi-
ty's (ORD) Youth Workforce
Development Initiative
(YWDI), educates high
school students ages 14 to 20
about careers in the fire and
emergency medical services
fields.
As an FDNY Explorer, stu-
dents participate in weekly
meetings, community service
projects, field trips to fire-
Story continues on page 15
houses and EMS stations and other im-
portant activities.
ORD Deputy Director Nafeesah
Noonan, right, congratulated Washing-
ton for his exceptional achievement
during the ceremony.
And Washington has already experi-
enced his first major emergency rescue
effort when he worked during the Janu-
ary
PAGE 15
THE RECRUITER
RECRUITMENT CORNER
Story continued from previous page
Former Explorer Becomes Program’s First FDNY ‘Medic’
2016 blizzard.
“I was in the ambulance starting at 10 pm on
Saturday night, and it was incredibly busy.
The Department handled thousands of calls
during the storm, we were working nonstop,”
Washington recalled about that challenging
day. “Every situation is different and you have
to approach each call
differently, but your
training just kicks in. I
had a lot of confidence
in my partner, and it
feels good knowing
someone has your back.
We were able to get
the job done even
through the snow.”
The YWDI is largely
funded by the FDNY
Foundation, the official
non-profit organization
of the FDNY. To learn
more about this initia-
tive, please visit:
on.nyc.gov/1fztKww.
To read more about
our latest EMS gradu-
ation, which was held
at York College in
Queens, please visit:
on.nyc.gov/20gic4G.
FDNY Paramedic Zarhar Washington shared his
amazing story with the media during the FDNY EMS
graduation on Feb. 5. The former FDNY Explorer
currently serves as a Post Advisor in the Exploring
Program.
