A Navy SEAL with roots on Staten Island would finally be allowed to join the FDNY if state legislation passes.
The department rejected Special Operations Chief Shaun Donovan’s application because the son of Staten Island parents was deemed too old by the current state rules by 6 months and 25 days, according to an April report from the New York Post.
“I always had this draw to the city, this connection, even though I never lived there,” he said. “When 9/11 happened, I knew I had to do something about it.”
Separate bills in the New York Senate and Assembly would change the number of years military personnel can subtract from their applications from 6 to 7.
That would put Donovan, born Sept. 11 1981, below the disqualifying age of 29 at the time his application started in April 2017. He scored in the top 1% of the department’s written exam, and passed the physical test.
The New York City Council passed a home rule message Thursday urging the state legislature to pass the legislation.
Donovan was born in Tuscon, Arizona, but his mother hails from Todt Hill and his father is from Bulls Head.
He appealed the FDNY’s decision, and it is currently under review by the city’s Civil Service Commission. A spokesman for the FDNY did not comment on the state or city legislation Thursday.
Donovan, whose Navy service is over in 2020, has received offers from multiple other fire departments across the country, according to the Post.
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