Boston Council Hears Proposal to Cut Fire Cadet Training Requirement to One Year

BOSTON — April 17, 2024 — Boston City Council debates cutting fire cadet training requirement from two years to one. The Committee on Government Operations held a hearing Wednesday on Docket 0582, a Home Rule Petition sponsored by Councillor Brian Worrell and co-sponsored by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Councillor Tanya Fernandes Anderson, which would allow cadets earning approximately $31,000 a year to become eligible for the fire academy after one year instead of two. Fire Commissioner Paul Burke, calling the change "one word" in existing law, said the department's 31-member inaugural class — 70 percent of whom are women or members of underrepresented groups — has achieved a 97 percent internal EMT pass rate and is career-ready. Local 718 President Sam Dillon said the union does not oppose the cadet program but questioned the "hasty" push to cut the timeline in half before the first two-year cycle has even been completed, asking, "Why the sudden push?" No vote was taken; committee Chair Gabriela Coletta Zapata said further conversations with labor unions are needed before the petition moves forward to a mayoral signature and state legislative ratification.