If you have recently attended one of our Information Sessions, Recruiter Trainings, Tutorials and/or Mobile Academy Events, you have probably met Office of Recruitment and Retention (ORR) Deputy Director Yvonne Moore. She joined our Department in 2012 and has been working each day ever since to help ensure that our members continue to educate the community about their careers. Before joining the FDNY, Moore served as an Agency Senior Trainer for the Department of Transportation (DOT) and as an On-Field Operations Administrator for Major League Baseball (MLB). Now, she’s second in command in ORR.
“The best part of my career has to be the full circle moments. When I started here, we watched our Firefighter Exam #2500 and Exam #2000 Candidates evolve. We were with them through their CPAT Prep Program sessions, their CPAT Exam, their Mentorship Program partnerships and even their graduation. Now, they are serving as Firefighters and to have them come back to tell us they want to help someone the way that we helped them is really special,” she said. “Another part has to be when I get to meet the parents and spouses of the Candidates at events and many of them keep in contact with us even until this day. We all know that our Firefighter Candidates go through a very intensive hiring process and I think getting to see first-hand that the family members are right there with them to support them makes my career even more rewarding.”
The Brooklyn native is also a proud wife and mother of three children. And like many parents around New York City tomorrow, she will be kicking-off the 2018-19 school year. Her daughter Taylor, 8, is starting third grade and her son Preston, 6, is entering first grade. Her son Kenneth, 26, will also be joining the fun tomorrow by helping his siblings celebrate #BackToSchoolNYC.
After she finished overseeing our Mobile Academy Event at Station 58 in Brooklyn on Aug. 25, we caught up with her to chat while she completed her back to school shopping.
Join FDNY: We have Firefighter Exam #7001 Candidates whose list numbers were recently called and who are now where the Firefighter Exam #2000 Candidates were in 2012. What advice can you share with them?
Yvonne Moore: We know it’s not easy, but they have to remember at all times the importance of having patience. The world we live in today is what I like to call the microwave world, because many people want everything done instantly and they don’t want to wait. To all of our Candidates, we want you to please remember that if you have the patience to see this hiring process through its entirety and you continue to study and train, the end results will be amazing.
JF: Tell us some ways you’re preparing your kids for the 2018-19 school year?
YM: My prep began on the day after the last day of school in June 2018. Taylor and Preston are both in gifted programs and I made a calendar of the reading materials and worksheets for the summer, so for July and August, they completed those assignments. In addition, I’m making sure their school supplies and uniforms are ready to go before the start of school. It’s all about time management and organization whether you’re at work or at home.
JF: We have many Candidates who are working parents. What tips can you share with them?
YM: I think as a parent, you have to always remember that your kids are not looking for perfection, they are looking for love, guidance and participation. All kids really want is to have their parents participate in their lives and to show interest in their well-being and schooling, ask about their friends, attend their Parent/Teacher conferences and their activities in and out of school. It may sound small, but the continuous effort goes a long way. In your professional life, my husband Edward always says: ‘know your role and play your position.’ If you were hired to do something, be the best at what you were hired to do, because that’s important. I think you just have to always remember that your hard work and efforts as a parent and professional is helping to inspire others and make a difference.
