NEW YORK — Joining the city fire department was a perfect fit for FDNY Lt. Felix Collado. As a teenager, he spent his summers on the beach in the Rockaways.

“When I became a lifeguard, the satisfaction of helping people was a big satisfaction to me going home. It made me happy,” Collado said.

What You Need To Know

  • When Lt. Collado joined the FDNY, just 7% of the department were people of color

  • That gap is closing: now, 25% of its members are people of color

  • Currently, more than 13% of firefighters are Hispanic

  • The most recent class of probationary firefighters is 41% minorities

After a brief stint in the police department, he joined the FDNY in 2005.

“I knew I wanted to be in civil service, in that profession,” Collado said. "Here I am today, living the dream."

Collado is the son of Dominican immigrants, and grew up on the Lower East Side.

"I saw how hard they worked,” Collado said. "I want to work as hard as they did."

Currently, Collado works in Woodside with Engine 325, Ladder 163. He says speaking Spanish in the diverse community is often helpful.

“You pull up to a call, and the first thing they think, they speak English to you. They’re trying their hardest to get the words out, or there’ll be a barrier, and I’ll start speaking Spanish to them,” Collado said. "And they’ll be taken back by shock, but it’ll bring their levels of anxiety, or whatever the call may be, down."

When Collado joined the department, just 7% of its members were people of color. That gap is closing — now at 25% — and more than 13% of firefighters are Hispanic. This comes after the city settled a discrimination lawsuit by promising to boost the number of Black and Hispanic firefighters.

Collado rose through the ranks, too. He’s a lieutenant now, and he passed the captain's test and is awaiting the promotion.

He hopes the visibility of more people of color on the job might inspire other young people to join.

“Maybe younger kids who thought about it twice — or maybe didn’t think of it — saw a person like myself, saying, 'Oh, wow. You know, maybe I can do it too?'” Collado said. "So, being a role model — and I guess being an inspiration to some or motivating some to get on the job — I think has helped."

Progress is reflected in a recent class of probationary firefighters, where 41% identify as people of color.

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