In certain realms, Vulcans hold a curious fascination for those of the Comic-Con faith. But in New York City, they are known to be a band of brothers and sisters in the fire department who not only protect and rescue city residents and property but also take on the legal fight when needed in order to ensure that a decent number of Black folks can get hired.

The Vulcans scored a victory recently when they won their lawsuit determining that the FDNY must get more Blacks and Latinos on the job.

“It is our victory,” said Fire Captain Paul Washington, former president of the Vulcan Society. “We want as many Black men and women to take advantage of this as possible. This was a battle royale for the better part of a decade,” said Washington. “The city would not acknowledge the blatant discrimination.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg did not respond to an AmNews request for comment.

Washington continued, “We really started in 1999 when we took legal, media and political action because of the appallingly low numbers of Blacks in the fire department. It was 3 percent then and it still is. It’s been that way for 150 years.”

With much fanfare, this month Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano announced the launch of an aggressive advertising and recruitment campaign to attract a diverse group of men and women to apply for the firefighter’s exam, which is scheduled to be given in January 2012. You can apply if you are between ages 17-28. Qualified applicants can go online to file to take the test before the Sept. 15 deadline.

“There is no more rewarding career than to work as a firefighter and serve the people of New York City,” said Commissioner Cassano, a 41-year veteran of the department. “We offer a very attractive salary and benefits package that, combined with a great work schedule and the pride that comes from serving others, offers one of the most exciting and rewarding careers available anywhere.”

The summer application rush should be on in the Black community, Washington, a 23-year vet of the FDNY, urged. The process occurs about every four years, and, he said, “We anticipate that there will be a fairer and more accurate determination of who is a good firefighter and they won’t just disqualify Black applicants arbitrarily. The application won’t be easier but we are hoping that now, after all these legal victories, it will be fairer.”

Washington explained to the AmNews that, in 2002, in conjunction with the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Vulcans filed a grievance with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission-it was that first legal action that led to the lawsuit.

“The judge found that our grievance was legitimate but the FDNY refused to meet with us,” said the activist firefighter. “So the case was turned over to the Justice Department in 2004. They, too, found our claims legitimate, the FDNY refused to meet with them, and so the Justice Department filed a lawsuit in 2007-that is the lawsuit that exists now. The Vulcans are interveners in that lawsuit. So it was us and the Justice Department against the city.

“The judge ruled in our favor; we had sued on discrimination, and we won that. We sued on intentional discrimination, and we won that.”

Washington said another point of contention for the Vulcans was that “there was never any doubt that we would win this case, and yet the city wasted millions fighting it. We won on summary judgment, which means that the judge felt that the evidence was so compelling that there was no need to go to trial. That doesn’t usually happen.”

The FDNY has launched a $1 million ad campaign focusing on the benefits associated with becoming a firefighter, including a starting salary of about $40,000 that reaches nearly $100,000 after five years; excellent health and medical benefits; a flexible work schedule; lifelong medical coverage; up to four weeks of vacation annually; generous pension benefits; and career growth opportunities.

According to the FDNY website, “The computer-based exam focuses on a number of topics that gauge a candidate’s ability to learn and perform the duties of a firefighter, including reading comprehension, problem solving, spatial recognition and applying rules to general concepts. It does not require any pre-existing knowledge about firefighting or the Fire Department.

“Based on your performance on the exam, your name will be put on a civil service list in list number order. You will then be called to take the physical portion of the exam. The physical ability exam is a series of challenges designed to test ability in four categories of fitness that are crucial in firefighting. Once your number is called, you will also take a medical and psychological test, a drug screening as well as receive a background investigation. Your eligibility requirements will also be checked at this time.”

Cassano said in a recent network news interview that “minorities” had not traditionally applied for the job because of a fear of the inherent danger. A report by Columbia University suggested the FDNY focus on the benefits of the job to encourage greater participation in the application process.

Washington took umbrage at this explanation. “There is danger in many fields of work. It is not as dangerous as most people think, though, and it is a very, very rewarding job. The starting salary is about $45,000 a year and it goes up to $100,000 after five years on the job. There is tremendous job security, full medical and dental coverage, an extremely flexible work schedule, a full pension after 22 years and the chance to do good in your community.”

Waxing lyrical about the beauty of the job, Washington said he wants as many Black men and women to apply to get on the job as possible.

“This isn’t a good job,” said the Staten Island-born, Brooklyn-living, Queens-working firefighter, “it is a great job. The Black community needs to take advantage of this great opportunity. You can apply online and it is only $25.”

Washington continued, “We want as many Blacks to apply as possible. There is a residency requirement which has existed for 20 years, but it has always been easily gotten around-we are glad that that loophole has been closed. City residents have a considerable advantage getting on the job because we closed the loophole. You get five points if you can prove that you live in the city, and that gives you a tremendous advantage.”

The Vulcan Society can be reached at (718) 778-7978 or www.vulcansocietyfdny.org.

For more information about the exam, call 311 or (718) 999-FDNY, or go to

www.nyc.gov/fdny or www.facebook.com/joinFDNY. The FDNY also has a Twitter account dedicated to the campaign, @joinFDNY.