As the city welcomed hundreds of new probationary firefighters into its family Friday, the FDNY also reached a milestone never seen before in its history.

New York’s Bravest now has 288 new probationary firefighters after 18 weeks of intensive training. And with that group, the FDNY now has more women in its ranks than ever before.

Families and loved ones of the graduating class cheered on the new ranks as they made their way across the stage to be recognized by FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh.

"All of you showed up months ago and you didn't know what to expect, you've come so far in that time and learned so much," said Kavanaugh. "You've learned about the commitment that we've made to each other in order to run into those emergencies when everyone else is running out."

Seven of the graduates are women, bringing the total number of female firefighters to 148. Although that's a record, women still only represent less than 2% of the FDNY. That’s 7% less than the national average, according to a 2020 report.

During their time at the training academy, the firefighters learned about fire suppression, collapse training, building inspections engine and ladder operations and more.

Following graduation, the firefighters will be assigned to firehouses throughout the city.