New York City Fire Department (FDNY)

New York, NY

see the full file on New York City Fire Department (FDNY)

documented benefits (5)

Retention	Documented occupational risk. NIOSH (US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) reports that cancer is a leading cause of death among firefighters, and that sudden death from a heart event is the most common cause of death among firefighters.
Paid training	18-week Fire Academy of classroom and physical fitness training; firefighter starting salary $54,122, rising to $105,146 after 5.5 years including overtime and holiday pay. Catch: FDNY runs the required CFR-D first-responder training course during probation but recovers its cost from you at $30 per pay period, and failing to obtain CFR-D by the end of probation means termination.
No experience needed	A four-year high school diploma or equivalent by appointment date, plus one of: 15 college semester credits, full-time military service with an honourable discharge, or six months of full-time paid work experience. You can start the process at 17 1/2 and must be 21 by appointment; you must live in one of the five boroughs or in Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk or Westchester County.
PTO	20 days
Promoted from within	Published promotional salary guide: Lieutenant $130,260, Captain $149,518, Battalion Chief $194,689 (maximum salaries).

notable perks

Lifelong medical coverage for the firefighter and their family

the legal floor where they are

Set by law, not by New York City Fire Department (FDNY). It applies to every employer in NY.

IVF cycles the state covers	New York requires three IVF cycles, from large groups only. Insurance Law §§ 3221(k)(6)(C) and 4303(s)(3) require large group policies to cover 'three cycles of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) used to treat infertility and prescription drugs that are prescribed for the IVF treatment'. Large group means more than 100 employees, and the law applies to policies issued or renewed on or after 1 January 2020. Age restrictions are not permitted, and an insurer may not discriminate on age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status or gender identity. Small group and individual plans must cover basic infertility treatment such as intrauterine insemination but are NOT required to cover IVF. THE LIMIT THAT DECIDES WHETHER THIS REACHES YOU: the Department of Financial Services states that 'the IVF law does not apply to self-funded ERISA plans', nor to Medicaid managed care, the Essential Plan or Medicare. KFF's 2025 employer survey puts 67% of covered workers in a self-funded plan and 80% at firms of 200 or more, so at most large New York employers this law does not apply and the fertility benefit on the page is the company's own choice. (New York Insurance Law §§ 3221(k)(6)(C) and 4303(s)(3), effective 1 January 2020.)
Adoption leave the law gives	12 workweeks of UNPAID job-protected leave in any 12-month period on the placement of a child for adoption or foster care, and only for employees who meet the FMLA eligibility test. There is no federal paid adoption leave. (Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)(B) and 2612(c); eligibility at 29 U.S.C. 2611(2) and (4). Quoted from the 2023 edition of the US Code.)
Pay when you are ill	No federal law requires any paid sick leave. The FLSA does not require payment for time not worked, and the FMLA gives 12 workweeks of UNPAID job-protected leave in any 12-month period for a serious health condition, and only for employees who meet the FMLA eligibility test. Any paid sick time comes from a state or city law, or from the employer's own choice. (Fair Labor Standards Act, per the Department of Labor's statement on payment for time not worked; Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, 29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1)(D) and 2612(c). Quoted from the 2023 edition of the US Code on govinfo.gov.)

Every claim above is sourced and dated. See sources on the full page.

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