Five women are among the nearly 300 firefighters officially part of the FDNY after graduating with the 2016 class Wednesday in East New York.
The new members bring the total number of women in the FDNY to 58 -- the highest in FDNY history.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro says the graduating class reflects the growing diversity of the department and all the communities they serve. He says there are more women and people of color in each new class of firefighters.
The new class went through 18 weeks of intensive training at the FDNY Training Academy. Once assigned to their firehouse, the new members will get more experience under the guidance of senior firefighters and officers.