The FDNY will be celebrating a five-alarm milestone on Friday.
Fifteen women are set to proudly walk across the stage and receive their graduation certificates at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Jamaica, Queens — the highest number the department’s seen since 1982, when the FDNY opened its doors to 41 women following a groundbreaking discrimination lawsuit.
“It’s a historic moment for our department,” FDNY Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro told the Daily News. “The graduates will bring us to 87 women — the highest total we’ve ever had in the department.”
Of the 15 graduates, three, including FDNY Probationary Firefighter Nicole Rizzi, have relatives who served in the department, officials said.
When Rizzi receives her certificate, her uncle, retired FDNY Battalion Chief Cecil Southern, will be cheering her on, she said.