Under court order, a long-running discriminatory program ends. Some are sad: The Boston Globe‘s story ran under the headline “For second year, Boston swears in all-white firefighter class.”
Twenty-four new Boston firefighters were sworn in yesterday at Florian Hall in Dorchester. The Fire Academy graduates, including one who is 51 and four in their 40s, are the second all-white class in two years.
Others, however, were jubilant. The Boston Herald‘s article, “New Firefighters Achieve Fulfillment Of Lifelong Dreams,” reported:
Caitlin Sullivan, 18, has spent her entire life hearing about her dad’s unrealized dream, a goal he never gave up on: to become a Boston firefighter.
Yesterday, the 51-year-old Charlestown father hugged his children, Caitlin, and Eddie, 8, to his chest, as his eyes filled with tears.
Ed Sullivan had waited 33 years for his Bravest badge.
“I’m really happy for him,” Caitlin Sullivan said. “I’m proud of him.”
Sullivan, and 23 other Boston firefighters, came onto the job yesterday as the result of a discrimination lawsuit that resulted in a 2003 federal ruling abolishing the fire department’s affirmative action plan.
The Week 7 Carnival of Education, opening March 23, is on the road this week, at JennyD. Submissions for the The Carnival of Education Week 7 should be sent to: jdemonte at comcast dot net no later than 10 pm Eastern, or 7 pm Pacific time, on Tuesday, March 22, 2005.
Don
The accompanying article in the Herald reads:
>>> Fire Commissioner Paul Christian said he welcomes the new recruits – many of whom are long past the maximum hiring age, 32. The youngest firefighter from the class is 24, four others are in their 40s, and the rest fall in their 30s, Christian said.”
Does anybody here have an issue with Sullivan being hired at 51 years old, which is 19 years older than the maximum hiring age?
–Cobra
Actually, I have a problem with age discrimination. If Sullivan successfully completed his training, which the article said he did, and if they have a reasonable expectation of his serving long enough to get their money’s worth out of him, terrific. Maybe they need to take a second look at their maximum age.
The following is from the 2003 federal ruling that is referred to in the article:
“This statute currently imposes an upper age limit (32) for new firefighters. See Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 31,