Boston lawmakers and advocates press to shorten cadet wait for firefighter appointment

Boston lawmakers, a city councilor and program advocates asked the Joint Committee on Public Service to approve a change that would allow Boston Fire Department cadets to seek appointment after one year in the program instead of the current two. Representative Christopher Worrell and Boston City Councilor Brian Worrell said the change in House Bill 29‑95 would reduce a barrier they said disproportionately affects cadets from Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan and Hyde Park. "This is not about lowering standards," Representative Christopher Worrell said. "Every cadet will go through the fire academy training, the same training every firefighter in Boston has to complete. What changes is removing an unnecessary barrier of disproportionately hurting young people of color." He added that many cadets earn roughly $32,000 a year and that the two‑year wait can push them out of the program. Both Representative Worrell and Councilor Brian Worrell described the proposal as a minor statutory change — replacing "two years" with "one year" — intended to improve local recruitment and diversity. They said the fire commissioner, Paul Burke, has voiced support and that the cadet program was designed so that one‑third of each fire academy class can come from Boston cadets. Committee members asked about demographic numbers; the witnesses said they did not have the detailed breakdown at the hearing but offered to submit it afterward. The committee did not take formal action during the testimony.