firefighters

Age is just a number. At least, that’s what Marcel Cuffy feels. In 2020, Cuffy decided to pursue his dream of becoming a firefighter in North Andover, Massachusetts, despite a big hurdle: In that town, you have to be 31 or younger on the day you take the firefighter exam. “It had always been a desire, but the pathway to…

The International Association of Firefighters is filing a lawsuit and calling to remove carcinogenic chemicals found in firefighters’ protective suits. Research suggests that “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, which are found in firefighter protective gear, have been linked to cancer. PFAS have been used as a water-repellent coating in the firefighter’s three-layered coat. It is also found in other...

“In the fire service, everybody pulls their own weight,” firefighter Kori Kelly said.  Kori Kelly is a 13-year veteran career firefighter. “I know I’m held to a standard and on top of that, I hold myself to a higher standard to make sure that I don’t slip,” Kelly said.  Kelly is concerned over newly proposed legislation that would lower...

The Boston Firefighters Union is set to meet with the Massachusetts Civil Service Commission on Monday, after initiating legal action against the state over canceled civil service exams. The Massachusetts Civil Service Commission suspended the exams over a 2009 lawsuit brought forward by the police unions claiming the exams discriminate against minority employees. These exams determine critical promotions for lieutenants,…

The move comes after a judge’s recent ruling on a 2009 lawsuit that found police promotional exams discriminate against minority employees.

The Boston Firefighters Union is suing the state and appealing to the Civil Service Commission over the indefinite cancelation of promotional exams.

Boston Firefighters found out the state was canceling civil service exams less than a week before they were supposed to take them. The exams determine promotions for lieutenants, captains and other leadership positions. The move comes after a judge’s recent ruling on a 2009 lawsuit that found police promotional exams discriminate against minority employees. The state’s Human Resources Division subsequently...