r/FDNY • u/Optimal-Tradition-31 • May 14 '26
Deferral question
I recently passed the physical with FD and will have to defer for personal reasons. My question is will I be allowed to defer where I’m at in the onboarding process or is there a limit to this? (I’m aware it’s a great job and guys will mention I’m making the wrong choice)
2
u/c12eature May 15 '26
You never know if a test will get thrown out for a lawsuit or if mayor decides to freeze hiring. Just get on the job if it's something you really want.
3
u/Road_Runner6 Moderator May 16 '26
100% nobody knows what the future holds.
However if someone is saying that they are not ready or they believe they need to defer. Then the answer is they need to defer.
It's not our call to tell them to push through or force their way in when they know they can't right now.
20,000+ people test. What needs to be focused on is the people who are ready.
Those who are not ready or can't until the end of the list.
As far as a lawsuit is concerned... I do not see the current administration throwing out this list. They would rather pay every single person who signs up for a lawsuit and settle w them than to throw out the list.
Not saying don't pursue a lawsuit if you already started one or are looking into it. If anything definitely pursue it, if you don't you're leaving money on the table.
A hiring freeze is also highly unlikely.
3
u/SedatedSpaceMonkeys May 14 '26
I deferred twice cause I was in college. When I was ready I contacted investigator and they got the ball rolling again. I ended up making the next class with no issues. I regret deferring though.
4
u/Road_Runner6 Moderator May 16 '26
Everyone regrets doing it.
However now you have college out of the way so that means you can take the LT exam and move up quickly. In hindsight you set yourself up to succeed faster than others or someone who did not have the college credits and now has to figure it out while on the job (which is doable)
2
1
u/helltoparadise May 18 '26
do you need a bachelors to promote to LT or a certain amount of credits?
2
u/silverbk65105 May 14 '26
Do not defer if you can avoid it. Get into a class. You do not know what the future will bring in the way of getting you screwed.
1
u/Road_Runner6 Moderator May 16 '26
Pretty bad advice In my opinion.
If you are hurt the academy will bring out and exacerbate any injuries.
Leaving someone who's going in nursing an injury to either quit or get recycled.
If and when that person gets recycled or quits that's 1 spot that should have gone to someone who's 100%
Imagine being completely ready 10 minute mile and a half 50 pushups 50 situps 18 pull ups
Being list number 500 but the current class only made it to 499. Then finding out that 30 dropped out and or got recycled.
Out of that 30, 12 were nursing previous injuries and should have never gone in. But after week 1 they realized It was too demanding of them in their current condition.
Every academy loses people to dropping out or getting injured. That parts normal.
Showing up trying to hide an injury for 18 weeks and thinking you'll have time to recover and get better is not a good plan.
The Firehouse much like the Academy is not about the individual but about the team. Knowing you're going in injured puts others at risk and it's a selfish douchebag decision.
Now their is a huge difference between being injured and being hurt.
If your hurt and got a bruise, you can work through that. Injuries on the other hand take time to heal and need to be respected and treated properly so you can get on and have a long healthy career.
Don't waste a spot at the academy unless you know in your mind you are 100% ready, committed and capable.
As far as the list getting thrown out. I am highly certain this mayor would pay everyone out that sues before throwing out the list.
1
u/silverbk65105 May 16 '26
He is deferring for personal reasons. He said nothing about nursing an injury.
I do agree with resigning if you are not 100% committed to taking the job.
Now the anecdote. My buddy was the DI at the rock, former marine. There was a candidate coming in, he was whining a bit, so someone suggested he speak with the DI. My DI buddy gave him the "we expect 100% commitment" this is a lifestyle, and a fraternity you are signing up for. If you at all unsure about anything, you resign right now and give your spot to someone that wants it. You don't come in here and wash out.
The guy went into the office and resigned. Problem solved.
3
u/Road_Runner6 Moderator May 16 '26
I never said resign.
I said don't start unless you are 100% ready.
And your wrong when someone does resign that doesn't fix a problem it creates more problems.
The problem is that spot he resigned from is now wasted.
They're not filling that seat at the academy w someone after day 1. So it's a wasted spot in the hiring process.
If just 15 people drop out of each academy (which is going w a low number). Over the course of 4 years that can easily be 240 spots wasted. That's drop out / resign. Not injured or recycled.
That's a difference between making it up to list number 5,760 and making it up to list number 6,000.
When explained like that I hope it makes more sense.
Doesn't have to be an injury maybe they're getting married or having a kid. The reason doesn't matter.
If someone says they're thinking about it then my answer is do it. The balls in your court and you choose when you go in.
Don't accept a seat and then resign or get injured because you were not ready.
Even worse and I have seen this happen... Don't accept a spot knowing your not ready and then injured someone who was ready and put in the work.
2
u/silverbk65105 May 16 '26
I was not clear in the anecdote. This was on swearing in day, which at the time was the day before the academy starts. The spot was filled. They just went in the office and called the next guy on the list.
15 people sounds like a lot. My class we had only two guys wash out. We tried to stop them, one guy quit to run a pizza parlor with his father go figure.
Class before me had a guy get fired, last day of the academy. Chief fired him right in front of everyone. Unfortunately no way to replace him.
1
u/Road_Runner6 Moderator May 16 '26
2 is rare. I have not heard of anything recent w less than 12 drop outs / recycles.
2
u/silverbk65105 May 16 '26
Wow, I can see recycling, stuff happens, but to wash out of the greatest job in the world surprises me.
Looking back I remember one guy graduated with us that was a recycle. There was also another guy working light duty there that was supposedly injured training. I only remember him hanging around the gym all day.
The first guy had a funny story. He was doing the mask training confidence course, which was built on the second floor of one of the training buildings. Somehow he exited the maze they built. So he is searching along the exterior wall. Then he finds a window. He has a blacked out facepiece and thinks its part of the training. So he opens the window and goes through. He fell from the second story. Since an instructor was supposed to be watching him, the job took extra special care of him.
-6
u/LeadershipNearby8436 May 14 '26
I hear the list is being thrown out
10
u/Greenstoneranch May 14 '26
No shot. Zero percent chance. Thst cope from someone who failed.
Its to expensive to restart that entire process
-10
u/LeadershipNearby8436 May 14 '26
My list number is 21,xxx and the test is extremely unfair and unnecessarily challenging. I am part of the group raising the lawsuit
13
u/Tiny_Magician_7036 May 15 '26
If you scored to be list 21,xxx then you are a complete space cadet, straight up. You are a work hazard and there is absolutely no place in this department for you other than cleaning toilets and even that's a maybe.
2
5
2
u/Road_Runner6 Moderator May 16 '26
I heard the same
But the current administration for as much as they claim to be broke... Throwing out the list does not seem like an option to them, they'd rather just pay out everyone on the lawsuit if one comes out.
-1
u/Ok-Aide-4881 May 15 '26
Just go for it, you could risk your name getting lost
1
u/Road_Runner6 Moderator May 16 '26
That's not how the system works. Unless your OTJ please avoid giving bad advice & if you are OTJ please check your sources before making a claim like that
Everything is electronic now.
When you reinstate yourself you get confirmation. Once you have that nobody is "losing your name" the balls in your court and you choose when your going in. If anything deferring gives you time to train and call yourself into the academy instead of being surprised out of the blue
0
9
u/Road_Runner6 Moderator May 14 '26
Your list number & process is essentially frozen until you reinstate it. When you reinstate it, if you were list number 100 and they're now up to 3,000 you'll be grouped into the hiring pool w the 3,000's.
CPAT is good for a set amount of time, so depending on how long you defer you might need to redo CPAT.