For the first time in its history The City of Rochester Fire Department's latest recruiting class of 31 candidates is made up of 24 minorities, and two women.
A few years ago the department had a recruitment class that was more than 50% minority.
This class is up to 77%.
News10NBC sat with Fire Chief Willie Jackson to talk about what's behind the spike in diverse applicants who are now looking to join the force.
The latest recruitment class according to Jackson is more reflective of the city's demographics.
"We didn't do anything different than what we normally do in our recruiting process," Jackson said. "It just how the list played out."
The current class of recruits includes 1 Pacific Islander, 13 African-Americans, 10 Hispanics, and 2 women. One of them is also Hispanic.
Jackson says the department has been trying to do a better job painting a picture for students of what it means to be a firefighter.