Buffalo, NY – Mayor Byron W. Brown and Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo today presided over the swearing-in for the first class of recruits to come out of the City of Buffalo’s May 1, 2018 firefighter exam. The 64-member class includes 51 recruits, who were among the 1,860 men and women who took the exam, as well as the final 13 recruits from the 2014 eligibility list.
“I’m very pleased to see this first class of recruits who answered our call to ‘Move Up the Ladder’ through a career in the Buffalo Fire Department. These men and women are the future of fire service in the City of Buffalo,” Mayor Brown said. “My Administration’s continuing goal is to appoint, train, and hired a diverse group of firefighters of what I believe is one of the best fire departments in the entire nation.”
The recruits will earn a base salary of $35,000 a year.
The swearing-in of the new class of recruits was the first for Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo, who was appointed to his post in late June.
“It’s with great pleasure that I welcome the first recruit class from our latest Buffalo Fire Department entrance exam. These men and women will begin training on Tuesday, September 4th, and will be tested mentally, physically and academically over the next 20 weeks,” Commissioner Renaldo said. “The addition of this new class further demonstrates our commitment to a fully-staffed, trained and ready firefighting force capable of providing effective and efficient firefighting services to our community”
Mayor Brown noted that since 2006, the City has invested over $26 million in its fire department.
“Since 2006, we’ve replaced the entire fleet of fire vehicles, opened three new firehouses, with a fourth in the design phase, and completed major renovations at several others, equipped our fire fighters with state-of- the-art equipment, and trained our firefighters to administer overdose reversing medication,” Mayor Brown said. “Those are all critical investments for the safety of Buffalo residents, while assisting our firefighters do their important work.”
On March 2, 2018, Mayor Brown announced the date of the 2018 Firefighter Exam and launched the City’s “Move Up the Ladder: Start a Career in Buffalo Fire Department” campaign. The city-wide public awareness campaign included: Public Services Announcements on Government Channel 22 and Spectrum Cable channels, hundreds of posters in all City-owned buildings, as well as other government buildings throughout the city.
Mayor Brown also made live appearances on Buffalo TV and radio stations, with additional messaging across the City of Buffalo via leaflets, electronic billboards donated by Lamar Advertising, paid ads in local weekly newspapers, and broad and diverse social media messaging.
The campaign to attract a large and diverse field of exam takers also included: interaction with block clubs, religious, community and business organizations, banners hung on the sides of Buffalo fire trucks participating in parades, and on city buildings, and “Meet a Firefighter” events at firehouses and community centers.